Chapter 20: Drop by Drop
बूँद-बूँद से (राजस्थान का 'टांका', बावड़ी एवं जल संरक्षण)
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- Bajju Village Drought: Madho lives in Bajju village in Rajasthan; extreme drought turns all surroundings into burning sands; women walk barefoot for hours to fetch 4 pots of water from a distant pond.
- The 'Tanka' (टांका) Technology: A permanent underground concrete cistern dug in the courtyard (*aangan*) of Rajasthan houses to collect every drop of precious rainwater.
- How Tanka Works: The courtyard roof is made sloping; rainwater flows from the roof through an inlet pipe fitted with a wire mesh sieve (to filter leaves and dirt) directly into the covered underground pit.
- Water Reuse (Reclaimed Greywater): Water used for bathing is collected in a tub and reused to wash domestic floor courtyards or water livestock.
- Bawari (बावड़ी / Stepwells): Multi-tiered architectural stepwells in western India where people walk down flights of stone stairs to reach groundwater.
- Trap: What is a 'Tanka'? Correct: **A specialized underground pit (cistern) built in courtyards of Rajasthan to harvest and store rainwater**.
- Trap: How is rainwater filtered before entering the Tanka? Correct: **Using a wire mesh/net fitted at the mouth of the pipe**.
NCERT Core Facts: Desert Water Engineering, Tanka Architecture & Stepwells
NCERT Class 3 Chapter 20 captures indigenous climate resilience in Rajasthan.
1. Madho's Village (Bajju, Rajasthan)
- Scorching sands blow across the horizon.
- During severe summer months, the village well dries completely.
- A special Water Train (पानी की रेलगाड़ी) occasionally brings tanker wagons to the nearest railway outpost.
2. The Architecture of a 'Tanka' (टांका)
CBSE asks exact multi-statement structural questions on Tanka construction:
3. Stepwells (बावड़ियाँ)
- Traditional stepwells are multi-story subterranean architectural marvels.
- Unlike bucket wells where water is pulled up with ropes, people walk down stone staircases to reach the subterranean water level directly.
Test Your Mastery: Drop by Drop
Authentic CBSE exam questions tested directly from this NCERT chapter.
In the dry desert areas of Rajasthan, what is the covered underground concrete cistern constructed in the courtyard to collect and store rainwater called?
राजस्थान के शुष्क क्षेत्रों में वर्षा जल संचयन के लिए घर के आँगन में बनाए जाने वाले पक्के गड्ढे (भूमिगत टंकी) को क्या कहा जाता है?
In Rajasthan, how is rainwater collected from the roof filtered before entering the underground Tanka?
राजस्थान में टांके में जाने से पहले छत के वर्षा जल को कैसे छाना जाता है?
What is a 'Tanka' in Rajasthan according to NCERT Class 3?
A covered underground water tank built in courtyards to harvest and preserve rainwater for drinking.
Why is the roof of a house made sloping when connected to a Tanka?
So rainwater drains swiftly through the connected pipe into the underground storage pit.