Before the advent of cast iron, galvanised and PVC water pipes, water for most households in the Seychelles had to be collected from source. The source was either a river or stream, or a well. As a young boy growing up, at a time when there was no system of public water supply, we had to fetch water from the river using a pail, or seo. This was a daily chore done every afternoon after school. Sometimes, in order to complete the task quickly, so that we can go and play, we would carry three pails. One precariously balanced on our head and one bucket in each hand. We would wear a sonbli on our head to stabilise the bucket and soften the load. The sombli is a piece of cloth that is coiled in a ring format creating a pad.
Open Bamboo Water Pipe- Tiyo Ladal ouver
With time, we progressed to using bamboo water pipes locally known as tiyo ladal. The word ‘ladal’ derives from “Daéla”, which in old Scandinavian means sink or gutter, and generally a hollow pipe which allows a flow. For a long time, tiyo ladal was traditionally used as water conduit to many homes on the granite islands of Seychelles. It relies on gravity for the water to flow from the source to the home and was up to a few kilometres long. The source was usually from a river or a stream up in the hills.
The two types of Bamboo water pipes– Tiyo Ladal
There were two main types of bamboo pipes or tiyo ladal. One was the open bamboo channel, or tiyo ladal ouver, made by splitting the top third of the bamboo, exposing the nodes that were removed to allow the water flow. This was the cheaper method but had a few disadvantages. The water flowing in the channels was exposed to the elements thus increasing the possibility of contamination. Furthermore, it would always get blocked with leaves and debris and had to be cleaned up almost daily.
The second method was leaving the bamboo whole, but the node walls had to be removed to allow the water to flow through. This was the preferred method because it was more hygienic and needed less maintenance.
A Long Open Bamboo Water Pipe Showing Timber Support
The pipes were secured on top of a series of timber support about three meters high. There was no tap at the end of the pipe, therefore, the water would continuously flow in to a bay and when the bay was full, the water would overflow into a wet area at the back of the bay, an area where yam and watercress were grown.
What is a bay?
The bay was a very large water container made up of concrete or half of a wine barrel or half of a diesel drum that was usually located just outside the traditional external kitchen. This was where all the cleaning of the fish was done as well as where all the washing up of plates and pots were carried out. The bay is derived from the French word baille which is a word used mainly in the marine environment to describe a container that is used for different purposes including holding water to wash the deck, storing the anchor line, storing tools for the boat as well as a container in which to have a bath.
In fact, as a little kid, I used to enjoy having a bath in the bay and under the ladal we had behind our house when we lived at Nouvelle Découverte, a small village on Praslin Island.
How was the bamboo water pipe constructed?
For this process we will focus on the second method. The first step was to locate the correct bamboo.
Locating the bamboo
Bamboo, which grows profusely in the Seychelles, is naturally hollow, which is why it can be used to channel water. The stems are cylindrical and divided into segments by protruding nodes, from which branches grow. At the level of each node, there is a partition which completely isolates the cavity of one internode from that of the following internode. A hard, waxy film covers the inside and outside of the stems, giving them a very high resistance to water absorption, especially after proper drying. Bamboo acquires its maximum strength at the age of 3 or 4 years
Harvesting the Bamboo
There are many types of bamboo but not all can be used as water pipes. The best ones are those that are resistant to rotting and have long internodes.
Time of Day to Harvest Bamboo
Traditionally bamboo to be used as water pipes are harvested at specific time of day and this is in early morning or late evening. Our ancestors did not know why, but now we know the reasoning behind this wisdom. It all has to do with the starch content in the bamboo. The more starch content the more susceptible is the bamboo to borers and decay. When considering photosynthesis, bamboo starts transporting starch from the roots into the leaves of a plant in the morning. At the height of the day, this process is at its peak, where the plant is full of starch, making this the least ideal time of day to harvest bamboo.
Time of Month to Harvest Bamboo
Furthermore, the moon phase was also traditionally considered when harvesting the bamboo. The starch content within the bamboo is at its lowest between waning gibbous and the third-quarter moon. Also between the 6th and 8th day after the full moon because of the stronger gravitational pull of the moon. Making this time of year the best time to harvest bamboo to use for water piping.
If the bamboo could not be cleaned straight away, it was stored in the shade by covering them with branches or large leaves. If the bamboo dries to fast, cracks will start to form that will ultimately create leaks in the pipe.
Removing the Internode Walls
The use of fully enclosed bamboo tubes is impeded somewhat by the internodes, which have partitions known as internode walls or diaphragm. The internode walls grow naturally across the bamboo stem at intervals of about 1 meter. These must be removed.
Photo showing the Bamboo Nodes and Internodes
Removing the inter-node walls
This task was accomplished by making a small cut at the top of the node and cutting away the wall. The process was as follows:
The bamboo was secured the to the ground, for example between two sturdy stakes, to prevent it from turning. With a saw, a thin notch was made on each side of the first node at the normal location of the partition. Then with a sharp wood chisel, a small square piece was cut from the top of the shank and removed as neatly as possible. The small cut squares were kept because they will be useful later. Through the hole thus made, the partition was cut off with a wood chisel. This process was repeated at each partition, ensuring that the square hole was always cut along the same line located at the top of the bamboo.
When all of the last partition has been removed, the bamboo was placed upright, and the interior was cleared of all debris. This process was repeated for the other bamboo stems.
It is worth noting that the last node was never removed for two reasons. It adds that little extra strength to the pipe and also stops water from draining out the back end, especially important for low slopes.
The last thing that was done was to replace the small square pieces that were set aside in the corresponding holes and secure them with string or wire. Sometime as small cut piece of coconut cloth or tanmi was placed on top of the whole before the cut piece was set in place to ensure that they did not fall in the pipe.
The bamboo lengths are now ready for assembly but must be treated first.
Treating the Bamboo
The next phase involved treating the bamboo in order to preserve it. The most common method used on the islands was to submerge the bamboo in flowing, clean water for a certain period. The water-soluble substances present in the bamboo, such as starch and sugars, will be washed away slowly. This makes the pipes less attractive to insects as food.
Assembling the bamboo pieces
Construct a makeshift reservoir
Before assembling the bamboo lengths, a small makeshift reservoir was created at the water source. The water source was deepened and cleaned, and rocks from the surrounding area were collected to create a small dam. All this activity created murky water which was allowed to settle before the pipe was connected.
In the meantime, the path for the piping was created by slashing the small trees and shrubs that could obstruct the pipe. At the same time, any obstructions that could create bends in the pipework was removed. Furthermore, forked branches, or fourka, as well as small bamboo stems were gathered to be used as support for the pipes.
The water source was then cleaned and small rocks were gathered to firmly anchor the first piece of bamboo pipe. This pipe was secured as low as possible into the water source. A small piece of netting was placed at the mouth of the bamboo to screen off any potential debris, or even small shrimps, that could enter the pipe.
Joining the pipes
Once the first piece of bamboo has been secured in the reservoir, the other pieces were added. This was done by placing the next bamboo pipe at the bottom end of the first pipe and secured with a piece of rope. This was repeated until the appropriate length was achieved.
A joint in an Open Bamboo Water Pipe
Every joint was supported by a sturdy forked branch ,or fourka. These fourka were firmly embedded in the ground to minimise sideways movement. Sometimes other types of support were used as shown below.
Different Ways of Supporting Bamboo Water Pipes
Maintenance
The pipeline was frequently visited to ensure that water flowed smoothly. Since the bamboo piping was simply placed on top of the framework that supports the pipeline, high winds or broken branches could displace the piping and cause the system to break down. Furthermore, because the pipeline was open at the joints, the chances of dirt, debris and tree leaves falling into, and contaminating, the water were extremely high.
Because bamboo decays as a result of its exposure to the weather and the scouring effect of the flowing water, all of the bamboo components have to be frequently replaced.
Distributing water to other households
On many occasions, the water was be distributed to a few households in the same village. This was achieved by each household having its own pipework and the distribution of water was carried out by diverting water from the main pipe at a specific agreed time. The diversion was done by simply lifting one of the main pipes and placing it on top of the pipe going to the other household.
Water Storage
As previously mentioned, water from ladal was stored mainly in a bay. But in some cases, it had to be stored inside especially when required for bathing and cooking purposes. In these cases, the water was transported from the ladal to a container locally known as Ganmel (Fr. Gammelle). The word’ Gammelle’ has many meanings and one of them is a large wooden pale, the name of which derives from the Latin camella (wooden vase), through Spanish, Portuguese and Italian gamella (trough, recipient). From the ‘ganmel’ the water was transferred to cooking pots by a lanmok or enamel mug. When used for bathing the water was sometimes transferred to a bake or galvanised wash tub. The water was placed in a kivet (Fr. cuvette) if it were to be used to wash the face or brush the teeth.
‘Bake’ or Galvanised Wash Tub
