Collection and storage of drinking water are important activities in India. This becomes essential in rural as well as urban areas if drinking water source doesn’t exist within domestic premises. Different kinds of containers are used for this purpose across the country, varying in size, shape and material. These can be most commonly classified into pots, tubs, buckets, cans, drums and tanks. Pots can be metallic, earthen or plastic. While traditionally metallic pots were mostly made of brass, in present times, steel and aluminium pots are more common. Steel and aluminium pots are lighter in weight as well as cheaper compared to brass pots. Use of earthen pots is also a long tradition, much in use in present times as well, particularly because of the exclusive advantage they offer in keeping the stored water cool. Plastic pots in vivid colors – blue, green, yellow, red and others - have become very popular in southern part of India, in rural as well as urban areas. These are lighter in weight compared to metallic pots and cheap, besides being more durable than earthen pots. Tubs can be deep or shallow and made of metal – aluminium or steel – or of plastic. Buckets also range from metallic to plastic varieties. Metallic ones are made of steel, aluminium or iron. Drums are likewise metallic or plastic. The metal can be steel or aluminium. Cans and tanks are almost exclusively made of plastic. Drums, cans and tanks are commonly seen in urban areas, where the need for storage over longer period is stronger since the supply may be unreliable – as with tanker supply - or else limited to a short time during the day. In addition, certain traditional containers for drinking water collection and storage can be seen in specific areas. In North-East India, as in Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, bamboo pipes are traditionally used for collection while in water scarce Rajasthan underground tanks called kundi and tanka are used for drinking water storage. This photo story presents the variety of containers used in India for collection and storage of drinking water. The title photograph depicts plastic pots being taken for sale in Kolar district, Karnataka.

 

 

 

Steel pots – District Kutch, Gujarat

 

 

 

Aluminium pots – Dhanbad district, Jharkhand

 

 

 

Aluminium buckets – Zunheboto district, Nagaland

 

 

Plastic bucket – East Khasi Hill district, Meghalaya

 

 

Brass pots and a small steel pot – Bhojpur district, Bihar

 

 

 

Aluminium tubs – District Morena, Madhya Pradesh

 

 

 

Earthen pots – Bikaner district, Rajasthan

 

 

Bamboo pipes – Mon district, Nagaland

 

 

 

An underground storage tank called kundi in the courtyard of a house. The tank is filled with either supply water or water brought from well or pond. Drinking water is drawn from it as and when required - Bikaner district, Rajasthan

 

 

Tin cans converted into buckets – Mokokchung district, Nagaland

 

 

Steel drum – District Morena, Madhya Pradesh

 

 

 

Plastic cans and drums – Secunderabad, Telangana

 

 

 

Big plastic drums being filled with drinking water from tanker. The stored water is used cautiously over several days – Mumbai, Maharashtra

 

 

Plastic tanks on roadside near the house, filled with water from tanker. Drinking water is taken from here for use as and when required. The water is supposed to last for a number of days – Ahmednagar district, Maharashtra

Top