Ancient structures that are part of India's historical heritage and traditional water management system are being restored and transformed into allies to tackle the country's water crisis. Known as stepped wells—or baolis, bawris, vavs, and pushkaranis, depending on the region—these ancient reservoirs have been restored to operation after projects that combine ancestral knowledge and contemporary sustainability solutions. It is estimated that there are more than 3,000 stepped wells in India, many of them currently in ruins, buried by vegetation or transformed into garbage dumps. In some cases, restoration has revealed structures hidden for decades. “When they started cleaning up what they thought was a garbage dump, they found the structure of a stepped well under the rubbish,” reported Vikramjit Singh Rooprai, a cultural heritage advocate and writer working with the Aga Khan Trust for Culture.