Can Traditional Stepwells Help Curb the Water Crisis in MP?

The planet is facing an unprecedented water crisis, with global freshwater demand predicted to exceed supply by 40 per cent by 2030. India has 18% of the world's population but only 4% of the world’s water resources. With many states struggling to restore drying water bodies, Madhya Pradesh has also been listed as ‘moderately vulnerable’ in the Climate Vulnerability Assessment for Adaptation Planning report released in 2019-2020.  

Long before modern technology like borewells, and pumps existed, India had step-wells and subterranean structures built into the ground to store water or recharge groundwater. But, can these step-wells help curb the water crisis?

As we reported earlier, analysis of water level data indicates a decline in groundwater level in about 34% of wells in Madhya Pradesh. In a state where the rainfall is erratic and groundwater is depleting. As the number of days for rainfall annually is decreasing, an analysis concludes that there is a significant decrease in annual, monsoon, post-monsoon, and winter rainfall and a positive trend in the pre-monsoon season in Madhya Pradesh. The state has an average annual rainfall of 1,194 mm. 

Today, a large number of Indians face high to extreme water stress, according to a recent report by the government’s policy think tank, the NITI Aayog. The Composite Water Management Index by NITI Aayog has sounded a note of caution about the water crisis in India, with more than 600 million people facing acute water shortages. According to the country’s Central Groundwater Board, 17% of India’s groundwater aquifers are over-exploited, indicating that water is being extracted at a greater rate than it can recharge. The irregular monsoon seasons are exacerbating the problem of depleting water tables.

Generational Negligence 

The stepwells were once the focal point of village life in drought-prone areas of India, providing a stable source of water for domestic use and irrigation. The stepwells date back to the 3rd millennium BC in India, an uninterrupted tradition that went on for centuries, attaining the peak of its glory in the 11th and 12th centuries overlapping the peak of traditional Indian architecture.

Historically, step-wells dot the Indian subcontinent from the northernmost and central regions of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh along Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Maharashtra, the western peripheries to the south in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Telangana.  In 2016, Stepwell Atlas, mapped the coordinates of around only 3,000 existing stepwells in India, with a few functional.

Victoria Lautman, author of The vanishing step wells of India, said: "Awareness of India's step wells has grown exponentially recently. Ironically, they've been ignored, considering how wonderfully efficient step-wells were at providing water for nearly 1,500 years. Now, thanks to the restoration efforts, step-wells will come full circle."

Over the years, with the increase of piped water connections, the installation and maintenance of step-wells decreased dramatically. Estimates indicate that most step-wells in India are on the verge of extinction, except a few that have been preserved to attract tourists. However, the people from the villages of Neemuch district in Madhya Pradesh appear to have recognized the importance of this historic structure and have constructed one in an attempt to alleviate their water situation. 

Revival of Stepwells in Madhya Pradesh

Realising the potential of step-wells, according to a report, in 2018, Modi village of Neemuch district tried to revive its stepwell with the help of Kheda Mata temple trust, a registered religious trust. They took the initiative to construct a stepwell for drinking water for the people. The site provides enough water for daily use which cuts the efforts of women to walk miles to fetch water. 

Sunjoy Monga, a naturalist, writer, and photographer, describes in his book 'FLOW - India Through Water’  how gathering and storing water was a way of life in India. 

"These wonderful, indigenously planned and nourished constructions known as bawari, jhalara, talab, nadi, johad, tanka, khadin, and kund - which we now name ponds, step-wells, and embankments - had for generations supported the water demands of a huge portion of the country's dry belt. Unfortunately, changing lifestyles, beginning with colonial rule, and the advent of technological interventions such as large-scale water impoundments along the course of a river, as well as piped water supplies, while meeting rising demand, came at the cost of the erosion of raindrops value, traditional knowledge, and pushed centuries of human ingenuity into the background."

Recently, public participation rejuvenated two more step-wells of the Gondwana era in Jabalpur. The Ujar Purva bawadi and Garha bawadi (stepwells) after their modifications were inaugurated in March 2024 by Minister Rakesh Singh. However, these sites were opened up as tourist spots with beautification. The revival of step-wells in cities is being done to develop them into a tourist place to attract people and as an alternative source for water conservation as it was used traditionally. Due to the depleting level of groundwater, experts believe it is tough to rejuvenate the step-wells.

“To restore step-wells for water conservation in urban settings throws up many challenges with depleting groundwater and loss of vegetation around these structures that aids to hold water,” said Dunu Roy, a social scientist and political ecologist to Ground Report.

He believes the ecosystem can still support step-wells to get recharged with water in rural areas, but the continuous loss of forests and nature in cities makes it more difficult to implement. 

Significance of Stepwells

Stepwells were frequently created on natural slopes to collect runoff and function as rainwater collection zones. Furthermore, those used for farming featured drainage systems that diverted water into the fields. They would fill up completely during the rainy season, and their compact design decreased evaporation. Stepwells could also help communities solve pressing issues including migration, agricultural failure, and climate change, as evidenced by a restoration initiative in Maharajpura, Rajasthan's Karauli district. 

Maharajpura receives an average of 26 inches of rainfall each year. Droughts are becoming more common in the region, and groundwater levels are dropping, resulting in lower soil fertility and higher crop failure rates.

Cities with traditional step-wells can take inspiration to work toward restoring and utilising the existing structures. Gwalior, a town in Madhya Pradesh suffers a severe drinking water supply crisis, particularly in the dry seasons of every year. The city depends majorly on Tighra Dam for drinking water. The city has plenty of such Stepwells (Baolis) unidentified as a water conservation and management resource. As per the study, Gwalior has vast water conservation structures that can be utilised against the present water crisis.

The Gwalior fort comprises baolis namely Assi Khamba Baoli, Gujri Baoli, Ghondha Baoli, Sharad and Anar Baoli, Dhargaj Baoli, Suraj Kund, Tikoniya Pond, Johar Pond, Shahjahan Pond, Mansarovar Pond, Rani and Cheri Pond, Gango Pond, Katora Pond, Ek Khamba Pond, Dhobi Pond, Nuri Pond, Saas-Bahu Pond. The most significant water conservation structure sustaining the fort is Assi Khamba Baoli. Similarly, many other regions of Madhya Pradesh hold the potential to restore these structures.

Follow Ground Report for Environmental News From India. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Koo App, Instagram, Whatsapp and YouTube. Write us on [email protected] and subscribe our free newsletter. 

Don’t forget to check out our climate glossary, it helps in learning difficult environmental terms in simple language.