Qanats and surangams are examples of water accessing systems
which have similar technologies. Qanat technology originated in
Iran and was used extensively in the dry, arid desert regions of
the Middle East and surangam technologyis used in the hilly
terrains of the Western Ghats. Both systems essentially consist
of underground tunnels that source the aquifer and use gravity
to convey the water to groundlevel. In both systems,
construction is undertaken by hand by labourers or farmers. The
most important aspect of building these structures is
identifying the source of water. The traditional Qanat builders,
called muqannis, follow the water courses coming down the
mountains and identify subsurface water sources. They dig a
trial well to test the quantum and flow of water before
beginning work on the Qanat. Similarly, in India, workmen who
traditionally undertook the digging of surangas, were people who
were familiar with the slopes, soil structure, catchment areas
and used their knowledge of local flora and fau