Water divining demo

by August 15, 2014 Environment

Water divining is the detection of under ground water without actually digging into the ground. The “diviner” locates water with the help of rules that he/she has inherited or learnt and/ or tools like coconuts, rods, pendulums and the like. Some use the geophysical survey approach, which may sound more scientific than the ancient methods.  

During my childhood, when we were going to dig a well in our house in Richmond Town, my father had called a diviner. I recall how fascinated we were when we saw how, with the help of a gold chain, he identified a couple of spots. The well was dug at one of them, keeping in mind locational convenience. We struck water after less than 10 feet and the well was finally dug to about 25 feet. It is quite possible that we may have found water at other points in the compound as well, but credit to the diviner was justified.

Even today, diviners are in demand, both for open wells and bore wells. The costs of digging are substantial. Rather than wasting money by digging in wrong places, people prefer some sort of endorsement before they start.     

Is water divining a science or art, or is it just luck? Can you learn how to become a diviner, or is it something you are born with? Which is the best way to locate under ground water?

For answers to these questions and to see how water divining is done, please attend the Water Divining Demo, detailed as below. The session will be conducted by Shri Subramaniam Lakshminarayanan, a geologist from Srirangam, Tamilnadu. 

Date: Saturday, 16th Aug 2014
Time: 10:30 a.m. onwards
Place: Narasipura-2 Lake, Vidyaranyapura. 

 

Sections:

About Arathi Manay Yajaman

Arathi is a market researcher who loves to run and write. She has been actively involved in issues that affect citizens, including apartment management, waste management and lakes. She used to live in Mumbai and is now based in Bengaluru, working as a Community Anchor with Citizen Matters.
Read more by Arathi Manay Yajaman

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Similar Story

Air quality management is a governance problem, not just an environmental one

by and March 2, 2026 Environment
Despite massive funding, Indian cities face weak governance, poor data, and limited capacity, as air pollution continues to worsen.

Indian cities are struggling to breathe. Air pollution is a year-round governance challenge. In 2024, 35 of the 50 most polluted cities globally were in India, with PM2.5 concentrations above 66.4 μg/m3. This is at least 13 times the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and at least 1.6 times the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) in India. Citizens continue to bear the brunt of worsening air quality, and urban local governments (ULGs) are at the forefront of the problem, being primarily accountable for their citizens' first mile. While they do have a role to play in addressing this threat,…

Continue reading

Similar Story

Protecting urban green cover: The process and penalties for tree felling in Chennai

by February 27, 2026 Environment
As green spaces shrink amid rapid development, here's a citizen's guide to navigating Chennai’s updated permit system for tree cutting.

​Two decades ago, Gandhi Nagar in south Chennai was a shaded green canopy, recalls Meera Ravikumar, a resident. “Now, in the name of development, many incidents of tree felling have occurred in the past 15 years on avenues and across private properties. In highly populated and polluted urban areas, green lung spaces are important,” says the member of Swacch Gandhi Nagar, a citizens group.   Since 2000, India has lost 2.33 million hectares of tree cover, according to the 2024 Global Forest Watch. Tamil Nadu has fared better than most states — its forest cover has remained “largely stable” since…

Continue reading