Stepwells Offer Partial Relief To Water Crisis

Hyderabad:With Telangana bracing for a prolonged drinking water crisis, conservationists want Hyderabad’s historic step wells revived to supplement local water supplies. More than 150 step wells have been documented within the Outer Ring Road limits, but their contribution to groundwater recharge and the city’s water needs remained uncertain.

Hyderabad’s core urban region received 457 mm of rainfall against the normal 619 mm until September 30, 2026, a deficit of 26 per cent. Groundwater levels in September were 6.85 metres deeper than a year earlier, with the average depth at 11.58 metres below ground level, according to groundwater department data.

Akarmaa Foundation, which mapped more than 150 step wells, estimates that around 90 per cent were dilapidated. Its co-founders, Arunima Shankar and Kaushik Kumar, are working with HYDRAA to document and protect the step wells.

“Depending on their size, Hyderabad’s step wells can hold between 25 lakh and one crore litres. Around 90 per cent of the structures we have documented are in a dilapidated condition. They need to be protected and restored not just as heritage monuments, but as part of the city’s water infrastructure,” an Akarmaa representative told Deccan Chronicle.

The foundation has projected that restoring the step wells could address 50 per cent of Hyderabad’s water crisis. The claim has not been established through scientific measurements of water storage or groundwater recharge.

“Hathibaoli, for instance, has an estimated retention capacity of nearly 1.5 crore litres. Community reports also suggest that groundwater levels have risen near some revived step wells. But we need systematic monitoring of water levels, catchment areas and recharge to establish their actual contribution to water security,” the representative said.

The groundwater department cautioned that storing water in a step well did not necessarily mean groundwater was being replenished.

“Step wells were essentially open wells built to provide water for domestic purposes, including drinking. Their primary purpose was not groundwater recharge,” said K. Venkateshwara Rao, joint director of the department. “Just because a well reaches the water table does not mean it is recharging groundwater. We need to establish whether water is actually percolating into the ground.”

At Bansilalpet, the 63-foot-deep Nagannakunta step well has a stated capacity of 22 lakh litres. Gandipet Welfare Society, which funded its restoration and manages the site, maintains the water level at around 35 feet, holding approximately 12 lakh litres. The level generally falls to 25–27 feet during peak summer.

“The water is used to maintain the site, including its gardens. During summer, we also supply treated water to the local community when required. It helps meet some local needs, but it cannot replace the municipal water supply,” said Rajashree Pinnamaneni of the Gandipet Welfare Society.

She said the society restricted the water level after good monsoons in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 because a fuller well could flood surrounding areas and pose safety risks. The water level remained around 35 feet in October 2026, despite what the society described as a low-rainfall year.

“The bottom is rocky, which limits seepage, while evaporation reduces the water level in summer. We believe nearby borewells have benefited, but we do not have measurements to establish how much their levels have improved because of the step well,” Pinnamaneni said.

The society has also restored the Bapu Ghat step well in Langar Houz, with a capacity of 7.5 lakh litres, and Zafar Bauli in Khammam. Restoration included clearing existing aquifers and cleaning most rainwater channels, but no new harvesting systems were installed. The society is currently concentrating on maintaining its three sites rather than undertaking further restorations.

Kalpana Ramesh, founder of The Rainwater Project, who has worked on traditional water conservation and the Bansilalpet restoration, said capacity alone was not enough to assess a step well’s usefulness.

“What matters is how much rainwater actually enters a well, how much remains after the monsoon and how long it lasts. A large capacity does not mean a well will fill every year,” she told Deccan Chronicle.

Ramesh reported improvements in nearby borewells and said five parks in Sainikpuri no longer depended on tanker supplies. These claims required verification against groundwater records and water-use data.

At Osmania University, a restored step well reportedly supplies 20,000 to 35,000 litres a day for plantation work, demonstrating its potential to meet specific local needs. But whether step wells could materially reduce Hyderabad’s wider water deficit remained unproven.

Experts say the city needed sustained records of rainfall inflows, seasonal water levels, water use and groundwater conditions around restored sites to determine their contribution to water security.