Delhi ''baolis'': Stepping into the past to manage water needs today
The baoli has three entrances and two storeys.
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Article Author: Delhi ''baolis'': Stepping into the past to manage water needs today
Media Source: Outlook The News Scroll (India)
Date: 25 August 2019
Once important community spaces, stepwells from centuries ago need not just be relics of the past for tourists and history buffs but can be used to conserve water in these arid times, even with dipping groundwater levels, say conservationists and historians. After a wall collapse in 2008, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture together…
Once important community spaces, stepwells from centuries ago need not just be relics of the past for tourists and history buffs but can be used to conserve water in these arid times, even with dipping groundwater levels, say conservationists and historians. After a wall collapse in 2008, the Aga Khan Trust for Culture together with the Central Public Works Department and the Municipal Corporation Department cleaned the well to its original depth of 80ft. The project revealed that there was a blocked passage and seven underground aquifers. It was the first time in 700 years that it was being cleaned, said Ratish Nanda, a conservation architect with AKTC. The involvement and the interest of the community made the difficult job achievable and possible. Historian-author Narayani Gupta said, "The Aga Khan Trust is the only initiative consciously and tirelessly undertaken to bring together communities and historic structures," she said.