Surangam System

WHY IN NEWS? The Karez System of Afghanistan is in threat whereas a similar system named Surangam in South India is thriving. About Surangams: The surangam or suranga is usually found in northern Kerala and southern Karnataka. Surangam is basically a tunnel dug through a laterite hillock from the periphery of which water and moisture seeps out. Surangams are similar to Qanats which once existed in Mesopotamia and Babylon around 700 Before Common Era (BCE). By 714 BCE, this technology had spread to Egypt, Persia and India. Qanats are underground tunnel systems that bring infiltrated groundwater, surface water, or spring water to the earth's surface using only gravitational force. This system....Read More