Deukumari Tamang a resident of Machhapuchhre Rural Municipality-9 Sidhing, Kaskei, enjoys grinding millet in the water-powered mill. At home, she regularly grinds grains in the water mill. However, not only her, but most of the people of Sidhing village also grind grains in the water mill. Recently due to the scarcity of water and lack of maintenance, Deukumari is worried about the water mill.
In the past there were three water mills in the village but now only one is operational. “In the past everyone used the water mills. Now, only one is functioning and we don’t know when it will stop working too, says Deukumari. She further adds that due to the scarcity of water they have to walk to other villages to grind grains.
The family of Sidhing Saraswati Adhikari used to run another water mill. He mentioned that the income from the water mill is vital for the family. In the village where there is plenty of arable land, we operate the water mill says Adhikari We keep about two and a half quintals of rice stored from grinding the richly nutritious grains. Our family relies on this for rice.
Traditionally water mills used to operate with stones a mill a grinding stone and a pounder. The mill operated by the elderly used to make tasty and nutritious flour, but with the advent of technology and electric mills, traditional water mills lost their popularity. Despite the ease and speed provided by modern technologies Deukumari still cherishes the traditional water mill for its taste and nutritional value.
With the development of technology, running a mill with electricity from the government has made grinding faster and easier which has reduced the attraction towards water mills. Deukumari highlights the need for government support to maintain and preserve the water mill which has been an integral part of the village.
Hari Bahadur Adhikari the Chairman of Machhapuchhre Rural Municipality-9 also emphasizes the need to preserve the water mills for future generations. He plans to provide necessary funding to conserve and protect the water mills. He says We are preparing plans to ensure the safety of water sources and facilitate the maintenance of water mills. We have also made arrangements to provide financial support for running the mills.
With the Chairman’s commitment and support there is hope that the traditional water mills along with the unique taste and nutritious value of the flour they produce will be preserved for generations to come.
Discussion about this post