Ancient stepwells brought back to life as India begins to run out of water

"After an 18-month effort to clear out 3,000 tonnes of rubbish and restore the stone walls and adjacent area, the 17th-century Bansilalpet stepwell had become a source of clean drinking water for the first time in four decades. It was such a joyous moment to see water collecting into the stepwell after clearing 40 years of garbage."

"India is famed for its stepwells—multi-storey structures built to provide access to groundwater, with steps and platforms descending to the water level. Thousands were built across the country near natural aquifers—underground porous rock saturated with water—mostly between the 11th and 18th centuries."

"The wells were abandoned under the rule of the British, who considered them unhygienic and largely prohibited their use, and deteriorated further in the late 20th century when people started to use them as a place to discard rubbish. While many wells have disappeared or crumbled, the Stepwell Atlas lists more than 3,000."

Bansilalpet stepwell in Hyderabad, a 17th-century structure, has been successfully restored after an intensive 18-month cleanup effort that removed 3,000 tonnes of accumulated rubbish. The restoration marked a significant moment for the community, as the well became a source of clean drinking water for the first time in 40 years. Stepwells are multi-storey structures built across India between the 11th and 18th centuries to provide access to groundwater near natural aquifers. These wells were abandoned during British rule, deemed unhygienic, and subsequently deteriorated as communities used them as dumping grounds. The Stepwell Atlas documents over 3,000 remaining stepwells, with approximately 100 located in Telangana and nearly 50 in Hyderabad.

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