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[[Image:suranga construct.png|thumb|right|200px|Dug out soil being transported out. At the far end is the mouth of suranga where the water will flow out. This suranga, already 150 feet in length, is yet to strike water. The light beam is sun-rays reflected from a mirror from outside. Additionally, candle light is also used. Photo: [http://indiatogether.org/suranga-environment--2 India Together]]]
Suranga (also Surangam or thurangam) (English: Tunnel well) is a traditional water management system used to provide a reliable supply of water for human settlements and irrigation in Kasargod district of Kerala and Dakshin Kannada district of Karnataka, India. A suranga is basically a horizontal tunnel dug in the slope of a laterite hill for about 30 metres (98 ft) to 40 metres (130 ft), which uses gravitational force for extraction of the underground water and collect into a storage tank. As both the areas are covered by uneven and steep laterite hill which makes boring of traditional bore well hard and expensive, surangas are considered as a relatively cheap option.
There are two types of surangas - : 1) dug in the hillocks with the help of galvanized pipes in a horizontal direction, from where the water percolates out (known as addaboru in Kannada) and 2) horizontally dug tunnel like structures which are as high as the height of a man, from where the water percolates out and collects into a water tank.
====History====
===Construction, operation and maintenance===
[[Image:suranga well.png|thumb|right|200px|This well connecting the sub-surface suranga was used till recently. Photo: Shree Padre.]]
The construction of surangas are carried out by people who have this indigenous knowledge, which is passed on from one generation to another. Detection of the water flow is done by taking into account the slope and elevation, growth of certain hydrophilic plants like, dhoopada mara (Vateria indica), basari mara (Ficus virens) and uppalige mara (Macranga indica), termite mounds and the texture of the soil. The flow of the water can also be detected with the help of skilled workers, who presses their ear to the soil at night to understand the direction and presence of the flow. Water dowsing and use of witchcraft is also prevalent for detection of the water flow.
===Manual, videos and links===
[[Image:suranga outlet.png|thumb|right|200px|Running water from the suranga (see opening on the slope) comes in handy for drinking and washing vessels. Photo: [http://indiatogether.org/suranga-environment--2 India Together]]]* Balooni, Kulbhushan; Kalro, Amar H & Ambili G. Kamalamma (2010). [http://dspacewww.iimksciencedirect.ac.incom/bitstreamscience/2259article/630pii/1/article.pdf S0378377409003606 Sustainability of tunnel wells in a changing agrarian context: A case study from South India], and [http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0378377409003606 better one here].
* Jayan, T.V. (13 February 2012). [http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120213/jsp/knowhow/story_15126817.jsp#.U59cHo1dX8k Water at the end of the tunnel]. The Telegraph.
* Motiee, H.; & et al. (2006). [http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07900620600551304#.U59ctY1dX8k Assessment of the contributions of traditional qanats in sustainable water resources management]. Water Resources Development.
* [httphttps://archivewww.deccanherald.com/Deccanheraldcontent/jul192005423664/spectrum1411542005718removal-casing-pipes-defunct-borewells.asp html Borewells without a pipe]. Deccan Herald. 19 July 2005.
* Padre, Shree (20 April 2006). [http://indiatogether.org/addabore-environment Don't dig down]. India Together.
* Padre, Shree (26 February 2008). [http://indiatogether.org/suranga-environment A 'Gurukula' for surangas"]. India Together.
* Padre, Shree (2010). [httphttps://www.agriculturesnetworkleisaindia.org/magazines/india/3-managing-water-for-sustainable-farming/farming-without-pumps/at_download/article_pdf Farming without pumps] (PDF). Leisa India. pp. 34–36.
* Padre, Shree (2 March 2006). [http://indiatogether.org/suranga-environment--2 Surangas, manmade caves to tap underground water]. India Together.
===Acknowledgements===
* Wikipedia, [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suranga Suranga]. Find full references for this article on Wikipedia.
