Wells and Step-wells

Featured Articles
February 24, 2021
Baravas - Unique water harvesting structures of Maharashtra
Baravas, the unique water harvesting structures of Maharashtra continue to stand the test of time. Urgent efforts need to be made to conserve them and learn from them!
A barav from Limb village in Satara district, Maharashtra (Image Source: Aarti Kelkar Khambete)
November 18, 2019
BWSSB’s workforce woefully inadequate, says Chairman Tushar Girinath
Bangalore's water utility is understaffed, under financed and unable to service the city's water needs.
Image credit: Citizen Matters
November 13, 2019
Cyclone Bulbul devastates West Bengal and Odisha
News this week
A cyclonic storm that hit India in 2016. (Source: IWP Flickr photos)
November 4, 2019
India has a groundwater problem
Despite being the lifeline of India’s water supplies, groundwater is overlooked by policy makers and users alike.
An irrigation well at Randullabad, Maharashtra. Image source: India Water Portal on Flickr. Image used for representational purposes only.
October 25, 2019
Mapping Pune’s aquifers
Groundwater use has doubled in Pune. Comprehensive mapping of groundwater resources and better management and governance is the need of the hour.
Groundwater, an exploited resource (Image Source: India Water Portal)
September 26, 2019
Water wisdom in times of a climate crisis
New report documents India’s rich traditions of water harvesting and sustainable use.
Bandhara (in Nashik, Maharashtra), a low masonry weir of 1.2 to 4.5 m height, which is constructed across a small stream for diverting the water into a small main canal taking off from its upstream side (Image: Shailendra Yashwant, Oxfam India)
Blessed waters of Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah baoli
A 700-year-old stepwell, built by a 14th century mystic, is reputed to have miraculous powers. It is no surprise then that it attracts thousands of devotees even today.
Sabita Kaushal
Posted on 31 May, 2016 10:52 AM

The legend has it that in the year 1321-22, mystic and 14th century Sufi saint 
Hazrat Nizamuddin Dargah 'baoli': An inherent part of a greater spiritual experience
The abandoned waters of the Red Fort 'baoli'
A unique 'baoli' older than the fort itself where two staircases from two sides meet at a central pool, lies locked up and inaccessible even to visitors.
Sabita Kaushal
Posted on 12 Mar, 2016 02:13 PM

The Red Fort, located along the western banks of the Yamuna, was built by Mughal emperor Shahjahan when he moved his capital to Delhi from Agra and laid the foundations of Shahjahanabad, the seventh city of Delhi. Since then, the river has changed course but it’s proximity to the fort ensured that there was abundant water supply as well as protection for the city.
Red Fort: A UNESCO World Heritage Site, hides an unusual L shaped 'baoli' in its midst.
Environmentalists protest proposed projects near Konkan coastline
News this week
Swati Bansal
Posted on 09 Feb, 2016 12:48 PM

Activists stand against three proposed projects near Konkan coastline
A thermal power plant in Ennore, Chennai (Source: India Water Portal Flickr Photos)
Alarm bells ring for Delhi’s groundwater
The city's old wells and baodis are running dry, and the Yamuna is getting more polluted by the day. Where is Delhi's water going to come from when groundwater levels are also dropping?
Amita Bhaduri
Bhim Singh Rawat
Posted on 25 Jan, 2016 01:19 PM

Delhi, home to 16.75 million people, is in the grip of a major water crisis. Statistics by the Delhi Jal Board for the year 2011 suggest that the water deficit stands at about 250 million gallons per day with the supply being 830 million gallons per day.
Residents say they are forced to flout the groundwater extraction norms with illegal groundwater pumps in Narela in North-west Delhi due to insufficient and poor quality of water supplied.
Sun, stone and water: Rajon ki baoli, Mehrauli
A hidden subterranean treasure in the wilderness of Mehrauli Archaeological Park, this 'baoli' showcases a stone structure built for water; cool & serene under the hot Delhi sun.
Sabita Kaushal
Posted on 07 Dec, 2015 09:22 AM

'Rajon ki baoli' also known as 'Rajon-ki-bain
Rajon ki baoil' in Mehrauli Archaeological Park, Delhi (Source: IWP)
Tackling water salinity in Mewat, Haryana
Lalit Mohan Sharma of Sehgal Foundation, Gurgaon speaks to India Water Portal about innovative solutions to sail through Mewat's water crisis.
Lalit Mohan Sharma
Posted on 24 Nov, 2015 11:16 AM

What is the exact problem as regards groundwater salinity, fluoride and water scarcity in Mewat, Haryana? Is the area underlain with saline groundwater aquifers? What is the status of surface water in the area? Can it not reduce dependence on groundwater?
Tackling salinity in Mewat (Source: Lalit Mohan Sharma)
Saaf Mathe Ka Samaaj: A treasure of essays on life and water
In our blind pursuit of progress, has the equation between man and nature been lost? Anupam Mishra talks about people, the environment and the mislaid empathy between the two.
Anupam Mishra
Posted on 19 Nov, 2015 01:04 PM

‘Saaf Mathe Ka Samaaj’ is a compilation of 23 essays on people, land, air and water, on issues and concerns that plague them, and the deep and direct connect between society and the environment they live in. Anupam Mishra is a simple, down to earth man and a true Gandhian.
Saaf mathe ka samaaj': Essays by Anupam Mishra (Source: Anupam Mishra)
Rooftop rainwater harvesting at Chhattisgarh school reduces absenteeism
The film “Rainwater Harvesting: From books to fields”, showcases how rooftop rainwater harvesting can also bring about social and economic change.
Makarand Purohit
Posted on 02 Nov, 2015 01:00 PM

Chhattisgarh ranked number 1 in the country for providing domestic water connections in 2014-15 under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP).
Rainwater harvesting tank at Madiya Kachar village school
Step back in time into 'Ugrasen ki baoli'
Hidden amidst the crushing madness of Delhi's life, this stepwell offers a glimpse of a monument centred around water which is both fascinating and 'past' functional.
Sabita Kaushal
Posted on 12 Oct, 2015 08:28 AM

Tucked away in a quiet by-lane of Delhi's busiest commercial centre Connaught Place, Agrasen or Ugrasen ki baoli waits imperially for a lost traveller to reach its steps.Called 
The old and the new: Ugrasen 'baoli' against the backdrop of Delhi.
Roundtable Conference on 'Innovations in Catalysing Interventions and Data Driven Decision Making for WASH programs'
Roundtable Conference will includes a book launch of 'Is it really clean? Creating a WASH Index'
Posted on 14 Aug, 2015 12:49 PM

About the conference
Roundtable Conference and Book Launch
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