Step-by-Step to Sustainability:- Hyderabad’s Effort at Conserving Local Stepwells and Water

In 2020 the Municipal Government (MA & UD Department) of the Southern Indian city of Hyderabad entered into an agreement (Memorandum of understanding or MOU) with the Hyderabad Design Forum (HDF) for the restoration of more than 10 stepwells in the City. This is part of a much bigger initiative to restore more than 100 stepwells in the state.

Contrary to what many may think, this initiative is not an isolated exercise in conserving old and dilapidated structures, whose sole purpose may be to satisfy the nostalgia and melancholy of the elderly or the cultured. Stepwells have real and tangible benefits for society.

Stepwells have been the Indian Sub-Continent’s method of harvesting rainwater for more than 3000 years (2650 BCE) (Landers, 2017). They usually tend to be wells or ponds in which the water is reached by descending a set of steps to the water level and very often tend to be multi-storied. They are usually a part of temple complexes and often have deep religious or spiritual significance. They are often managed by local communities. A small stepwell is capable of storing more than 2 million litres of Rainwater (i.e. half a million gallons). Large Stepwells have a capacity of more than 6 to 8 million gallons of water (Landers, 2017).

The new initiative by the Government of Telangana represents a pioneering approach towards mobilizing local communities to take guardianship of local resources, the most precious of which is water. Water Scarcity is an alarming issue to say the least; one-quarter of the world’s cities are already facing water scarcity while 11 of the world’s major cities could run out of water by 2030” (WRI, 2019).

The drive towards conserving ancient local stepwells represents a community-centric effort at conserving local resources in tandem with local beliefs and practices, local history and a shared commitment towards sustainable development. This is a reflection of commitment to the UN-SDGs (United Nations Sustainable Development Goals) 6, 11 and 12 which include “Clean Water & Sanitation”, “Inclusive, Resilient & Sustainable Societies” and “Responsible Production & Consumption” (UNDP, n.d. ). Restoring Stepwells reflects a revival of conservation practices local to the region, while local rainwater harvesting Systems in essence are an effective way of conserving water and saving local resources.

So far, restoration is taking place at an impressive pace in different parts of the city and state. Amongst the notable ones include the one at Bapughat, Hyderabad, Gachibowli, Hyderabad, Nizamabad, and Narayanpet. Gachibowli, the Hyderabad district home to the city’s IT-Hub is home to one of the stepwells the “Gachibowli Stepwell” after which the entire district was named. The success has been rousing to say the least with stepwells having saved more than 1.1 million liters of water, and others robust enough to handle the onslaught of the seasonal monsoons. The restoration of stepwells is part of the “Blue Hyderabad Initiative” which aims not just to restore traditional water conservation practices but also to revive lakes and other local water bodies which are part of the city’s environmental fabric

Recently Hyderabad was recognized as a “Tree City of the World” by FAO (Food and Agricultural Organization UN). Hyderabad was one of 120 cities globally to be selected by FAO and also the only Indian City to be selected as one. This is in recognition of its commitment to urban forestry. The award comes just a year after the city was recognized as a “UNESCO Creative City” (1 of 145 cities to be selected) for its efforts in trying to leverage culture to promote sustainable development. The State of Telangana on the whole has topped the country when it has come to achieving the UN-SDGs (Niti Aayog, 2018). All three achievements lay testament to the power of effective local governance and community participation in trying to achieve sustainable development at the local, urban and regional level. At a time, of growing resource scarcity, environmental degradation and social unrest the onus comes increasingly on local communities in taking charge of their resources and taking care of their citizens. At such a juncture, local government becomes increasingly important when it comes to ensuring bottom-top participation of local communities and streamlining production and consumption to make them more sustainable and accessible to local citizens. Against such a context, Hyderabad may just be blazing a new trail for new cities to follow suit in the future.