Lakshmaiyyah belongs to the Mannuvadar community, the traditional well-diggers from Karnataka in India, who have watched in agony as, over the last few years, Bengaluru dried up around them. For generations, this community has been famous for “sniffing out” the best spots to dig for water in Karnataka—their deep understanding of the soil and the bedrock allows them to get an accurate sense of where the water is likely to be closer to the ground. Armed with a sabbal (digging spade), a shallow pail, a steel rod and a rope to test the soil strength, the Mannuvadars have been building the most well-crafted wells in the country.

At the moment, Bengaluru is at the peak of summer, and its residents are facing one of the most severe water shortages, especially in newly-developed areas and IT-corridors that were once dotted with open wells, which held water throughout the year. Over the last three years, experts have been urging the government to stand up and take notice of this water crisis, predicting that Bengaluru would be ‘unlivable’ by 2025 if the trend continues.