Revived and restored 'heritage' well could provide water to households in a 100-m radius and revive an ancient ceremony conducted during weddings
Abhishek Vinod Ghosalkar was one of the residents who led the restoration of the well
A 200-year-old well that residents of IC Colony in Borivli found in 2017 has been revived, restored and beautified and was inaugurated on Sunday. This well has a stormwater drainage line that will resolve water shortage in the area.
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The well was built in the 1800s by East Indian Catholics for a ceremony called 'Umbracha Paani' where families dance their way towards the local well and collect water from the well for bathing brides and bridegrooms.
The well was inaugurated on Sunday
While it was built by the North Salsette Society, its revival was undertaken by Abhishek Vinod Ghosalkar. The well is located at IC Colony Cross road no. 5.
Around 25 feet deep and 100 m in radius, the well was discovered during an inspection of old land records of Eksar Village. It was filled with garbage and debris and lay untraceable as a stormwater drain also passed over it.
The well when it was found
Resident Vincy Pereira had also found a power sub-station inside that changed hands from the Bombay Suburban Electric Supply to Reliance Energy, which helped Pereira locate it and undertake the restoration.
Ghosalkar said, "We could find the exact location of the well from the land records. The well will surely be a landmark and pride for IC Colony since it is a heritage site. We will follow up with concerned authorities to get it a heritage site status. All this was possible also due to the help provided by Vincy Pereira, an IC Colony resident who works on water conservation projects in villages."
"The well will raise the water table of the area and will supply water to the borewells in a radius of approximately 100 meters. This will help reduce the burden on BMC water consumption and ease water shortage," Ghosalkar added.
The well is also expected to revive the Umbracha Paani ceremony. The ceremony had become impractical and obsolete, due to unavailability of a well.
25ft
Depth of the well
2017
Year the well was discovered
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