Community-driven stepwell revival in Rajasthan eases water scarcity

Jaipur: In this sweltering heat, with temperatures touching 45° Celsius frequently in Rajasthan, securing safe drinking water is a challenge. Earlier this week, despite the energy-sapping heat, hundreds of people from various parts of Jaipur took to the streets to protest against the supply of contaminated drinking water and demanded immediate relief from the state government.

However, around 25 km from the city centre, residents of Prahladpura on Tonk Road have taken it upon themselves to ensure clean drinking water for the entire village, comprising around 700 people.

The source is not water tankers or taps but a 400-year-old stepwell that the villagers have revitalised.

Shravan Sharma, a Prahladpura resident who toiled to get the local stepwell working, told DH: “We have been cleaning the stepwell every year, but we couldn’t make it fully functional for drinking purposes. The water was being used for the adjacent temples.”

He added: “We always knew its importance. The whole village came together to restore it to its former glory. We don’t want it to fall into disuse again… It is a place where we relax. This stepwell is now the showpiece of our village.”

About stepwells

Stepwells were born out of necessity in places where summers were followed by a brief monsoon spell. Water shortage was a perennial problem. So, stepwells — the architectural marvels they were — “stepped” in.

A stepwell is ideally a subterranean water structure built to preserve and harvest rainwater. They are built by digging deep down into the earth and making use of natural aquifers to trap rainwater and groundwater.

Most of them go several levels deep into the soil, typically at least 25 metres, and can be reached through a series of stone steps.

Experts have documented thousands of stepwells across India, with different names like “baoli”, “vav”, “kund”, “pushkarani”, or “kalyani”, depending on the local language. They are of varying sizes, architectural designs, and embellishments, depending on the landscape.

There is evidence of the existence of stepwells in the Indus Valley Civilisation between 2500 BC and 1700 BC. Initially built as crude trenches, they evolved into engineering marvels between the 11th and 15th centuries.

In 2016, Stepwell Atlas — a collaborative effort between researchers and organisations including the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (Intach) — mapped over 3,000 stepwells across India. Of them, only 400 to 500 were in usable condition.

Since the British considered them unhygienic and prohibited their use, and with the advent of modern water systems, these stepwells began to be used as garbage dumps.

The restoration

In Rajasthan, architect and urban planner Akanksha Modi — fondly called “Baori baisa” — has mapped around 467 stepwells and photo-documented around 223 of them over the last three years.

Akanksha said she went out for a family outing to Prahladpura in 2022, where she found the aforementioned stepwell. She noticed its water — however little was there — being used in temples.

She said, “People already had that connection with the stepwell, and wanted to strengthen it. They had abandoned the stepwell only because of wild plant growth and aquatic animals, including snakes.”

She added: “By April 2024, I was keen to restore the stepwell, but only with community involvement. Otherwise, the whole process of conservation would mean nothing. There was a better chance of maintaining the place only if villagers were involved.”

She continued: “One challenge was funds, because the NGO with which we collaborated was just starting. We began speaking with the locals and got a no-objection certificate from the Panchayat.”

This, apparently, got the ball rolling. Modi elaborated: “One villager permitted the use of their place for lime-water mixing. Somebody promised water. Somebody else gave electricity. Village elders used to play cards at someone's house. We requested them to gather at the baori, so that they could keep a watch on the quality of work as well. The villagers practically rebuilt the place themselves.”

What lies ahead

Modi is now working on revitalising the “Booj ki baori” near Jaipur. She said, “Initially, I was just interested in documenting and mapping the stepwells. All these places had the same purpose. But I realised that all of these stepwells had different designs, variations in sizes, arches and openings. An interesting science behind them all.”

She explained: “In Jaipur, these structures are three to four storeys underground. How these peripheral walls are holding the weight of the earth, which has been constantly pushing for the last 300-400 years, is a wonder.”

Modi continued: “These are structurally interesting as well! Besides the beautifully designed system centuries ago, there was a distinct management method. From August to April, stepwells used to be filled with water. From April, there were harsh summers, so people used more water, and evaporation was faster as well. So, stepwells were completely dry by June-end. That was when people cleaned it and provided the structure a breathing space.”

She also mentioned “a special construction technique” that ensured that polluted water was not allowed to flow back into the stepwell. “It was like a self-cleaning system,” she said.

“Now, even if governments do the conservation part of it, the soul of revitalisation lies in people using them. This community-led revival of the Prahladpura stepwell can become a template for restorations elsewhere,” said Modi.

(The author is a senior Jaipur-based journalist)