Travel Photography | The Hitis of Patan | Stone Water Spout

© 2014 Wazari Wazir | Hitis of Patan | Stone Water Spout | Patan | Kathmandu | Nepal

People wait in lines in the early afternoon are a daily ritual in the centre of the palace complex in Patan, Lalitpur. Water spouts are a natural alternative as water tankers find it difficult to navigate the narrow, crowded streets in Kathmandu’s historic district. If properly rehabilitated, the NGO Forum estimates water spouts could meet 10 per cent of the valley’s drinking water needs.

Kathmandu valley depended on traditional water structures like stone spouts (hitis/dhunge dharas), ponds (pokhoris) and wells for their water supply until the middle of the nineteenth century when water supply through pipes started. The valley has over 200 ponds, 400 hitis and countless dug wells.  The water supply systems date back to the Lichhavi Period, 1,500 years ago. The hitis are fed by man-made channels called Rajkulos. These Rajkulos start from the foothills and feed the stone spouts of urban areas in the valley. Few hitis are also fed by local aquifers. A filter system, which mainly consists of bricks, tiles and sand, is placed behind the hitis. The pokhoris, located in residential neighbourhoods, acted as storage tanks as well as recharge systems in the valley.

The indigenous tribes of the valley, the Newars, have a unique method of maintaining their water supply systems. They celebrate Sithi Naka and Machendra Nath festivals which aim at cleaning and maintaining the water supply systems. Sithi Naka festival falls in June when dugwells and hitis are cleaned. The cleaning of the systems is carried out in an organised manner. The tribes have a traditional method of checking the oxygen level in the wells before entering into these structures. Newars also worship wells, ponds and the water spouts. During Machendra festival, the water supply canals are cleaned and maintained.

Alok hiti in Patan area of Lalitpur district is a unique example where the community has pooled resources to revive traditional stone spouts. They have made new recharge systems to reactivate the local aquifers. The community has also developed a water supply distribution system, sourcing water from the hiti.  Many of these reservoir ponds were filled up due to construction or converted into garbage dumps.