An old house in Chamarajpet belonging to Mr Ananda Sanjeev was demolished. There is an open well attached to the house. Here is the story in Mr Sanjeev’s own words:

‘My grandfather bought this house in 1965 and the well was already there when the previous occupants had it back in the 1940s.  So, I estimate this well to be at least 80 years old.  Last week (Sept 2020), I had made up my mind to close this open well based on some engineers stating how this well will be an impediment to the construction of the pillars and foundation when I decide to construct a structure here.  I was also advised that as I demolish the old building which is already crumbling, I might as well use the rubble to fill up the well thus making it easier to shut it down. For the last 10-odd years, this well had not been in use, even though neighbouring constructions took place by pumping water from this well with my permission.  As the water has not been consumed for the last 10-odd years, I was also wondering if there is sewage getting mixed with the well water.  Overall, the many factors above had convinced me to shut this well down until last Saturday (Sep 19). I went to the house with my mom and dad to do a Ganga pooja to thank the well and apologize for my decision to close it down.  As we removed its covers and noticed the glistening wavy water, I remembered how at least 3 generations of my own clan have drunk from this well and probably a few more before us. Then when we dropped some offerings like old coins and coconuts into the well, the sound it made just pulled at my heart strings and the look my mother had when she heard it, made me rethink my decision.  My google search took me to bengaluru.urbanwaters.in and the Million Wells campaign and after reading through the information, I was convinced that it would be a tragedy to shut an active well with water in the current urban landscape where it is located.  I reached out to Biome that has given me a roadmap on how to take the next steps from testing, cleaning and rejuvenating a part of my own life and our shared heritage of drinking clean water from wells.’

Mr. Sanjeev got the water quality tested, and it was found to be good, aside from the presence of bacteria. He plans to use the water for future construction on the site, and get the well cleaned once the construction is completed and the family is ready to move in.