Aqueduct at Panighat
Aqueduct at Panighat, South Andaman :
Story of a Forgotten Archaeological Legacy
By
Panighat,
located about 4 km from Bambooflat Jetty in South Andaman at the foothills of
Mount Harriet, now known as Mount Manipur, is a small settlement with a layered
past. While the site is historically associated with the assassination
of Lord Mayo by Sher
Ali Khan on 8 February 1872, it holds another, lesser-known yet remarkable
legacy - a British-era aqueduct system that defines the area’s identity and
utility. The very name Panighat (literally
“water point”) owes its origin to the forgotten, gravity-driven water transport
system. This article traces the story of this rare water infrastructure, which once
sustained maritime activity in the region but now lies in ruins, awaiting
attention and conservation in equal measures.
A Rare Archaeological/Engineering Legacy and its Decline
The aqueduct at Panighat was designed by the British empire to transport freshwater from a natural catchment at the base of Mount Harriet to the Panighat Jetty. The channel measuring approximately 150 metres in length, 60 cm in width and 45 cm in depth, was elevated from the ground by a series of arched supports made of red earthen bricks and lime mortar – a signature of British colonial engineering.
At its highest elevation near the jetty, the aqueduct rose to a height of about 4 metres above the ground. Entirely gravity driven, the system required no external energy input. Freshwater flowed naturally from the elevated catchment into a collection pond near the jetty, from where it was supplied to visiting ships. In its time, this was an efficient and sustainable water transport system, requiring no external power supply.
Aqueducts are not common in India, making the one at Panighat particularly significant. From an archaeological and engineering standpoint, this aqueduct represents a rare example of functional water catchment and transport infrastructure adapted to island topology, combining efficiency with sustainability, long before modern discussion on low-carbon systems began. A useful comparison can be drawn with the aqueduct system associated with the Vijayanagara Empire’s capital Hampi, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, located in Karnataka.
At
Hampi, stone aqueducts and channels were part of an elaborate hydraulic network
that supported urban planning, agriculture and royal enclosures. While Hampi’s
system reflects medieval South Indian ingenuity, Panighat represents colonial adaptation of similar
hydraulic principles in a maritime context.
Unlike Hampi’s extensive network, the
Panighat aqueduct is smaller and more utilitarian - but its uniqueness lies in
its purpose: supplying freshwater to
ships in a remote island colony. This functional specialization
makes it one of the very few such structures in India.
Decline: Earthquakes and Changing Technologies
The aqueduct remained
in use well into the 20th century before suffering severe damage during the 1941 Andaman
earthquake. Structural fractures, ground subsidence and
displacements rendered large portions of the aqueduct dysfunctional.
In the decades that
followed, as the population in the settlement grew in numbers and water demand increased,
alternative arrangements in the form of dug wells were made and mechanical
pumps installed to supply piped water to households, gradually replacing the
traditional gravity driven system. The ships now call on other ports to meet
their water requirements.
The final blow to the
arched remains of the aqueduct came with the 2004
Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, one of the most powerful
earthquake in recorded history. A significant section of the aqueduct measuring
around 30 metres near the jetty, broke due to intense ground shaking and collapsed
into the sea. What remains today are scattered fragments, silent witnesses to the
once-efficient water management system of the bygone days.
Oral Histories, Living Memory of a Lost System
For local residents like Jayachandran, the aqueduct is not merely a ruin but a part of lived history. He recalls stories from his father, Late Dadulal, a freedom fighter who was among the early settlers in Panighat in 1908. He remembers ships docking at the Panighat jetty to collect freshwater, an image that vividly illustrates the aqueduct’s importance in sustaining maritime operations.
He
also recounts a moment of hope when the then Chief Secretary of the Andaman
& Nicobar Administration visited Panighat and interacted with the local
community, sometime before the 2004 earthquake and tsunami. During this
interaction, Jayachandran pointed out that the nallah, supported by a
substantial catchment from Mount Harriet, continued to hold water and could
still meet local needs if restored. The Chief Secretary reportedly agreed and
expressed support for reviving the system. Following the visit, secondary
forest growth over parts of the aqueduct was cleared and the remaining
structure was painted. However, with the transfer of the Chief Secretary, the
initiative lost momentum and no meaningful restoration followed.
 |
| Catchment as on April 2010 |
My
own association with this site goes back to childhood, having visited it
frequently over the years. The trekking route to Mount Harriet is along this
aqueduct site. One particular visit in April 2010 remains especially
significant. Accompanied by my mentor Dr TVRS Sharma, a retired agricultural
scientist and Jayachandran, an old inhabitant of Panighat, I revisited the
aqueduct and its catchment. Despite years of neglect and silt accumulation, we
found that the catchment which was barely about 10 metres deep and 30 metres wide
still held water in peak summer.
Presence
of water in the shallow catchment underscored the strength of the natural
source and the wisdom of the original system. It was difficult not to reflect
on the irony that a self-sustaining, gravity-driven system had been replaced by
energy-intensive alternatives, even as its source continued to endure. That
visit left a lasting impression on me. The idea of re-erecting the aqueduct is
something I have carried ever since. Not merely as restoration, but as revival
of a sustainable practice that would reduce our carbon footprint while restoring
a functional heritage system, said Dr Sharma during our visit.
Archaeological Significance, Missed Opportunities, A Heritage on the Brink
The Archaeological Survey of India during a state level workshop under the National Monuments and Antiquities held at Jawaharlall Nehru Rajkeeya Mahavidyalaya (JNRM) during September 2010, acknowledged the need to document the aqueduct. The INTACH was urged to take up its conservation.
The
aqueduct at Panighat represents more than a relic of the past. It is a reminder
of sustainable practices, local history and an archaeological/engineering
ingenuity. Today, the aqueduct lies in ruins, deteriorating steadily. Sections that
are still standing are being dismantled to harvest the bricks by local
inhabitants, accelerating its disappearance from the scene. Without immediate intervention,
this rare archaeological/engineering heritage risk being lost entirely.
The
race between preservation effort and the forces behind the aqueducts brick-by-brick
destruction is already underway and time is clearly not on the side of the
forgotten legacy.
Related Reading:
👉 Mangroves of Wright Myo Creek, Seeing is Believing
👉 Mt Harriet, now Mount Manipur, the most sought after wilderness in Andamans
👉 An Officer in the thick of Mt Harriet
Comments
Deb your effort in this regard is much appreciated .