Over the years, with the advent of piped water, many of these stepwells were filled up with mud or concrete. Engineers and restorers from the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) first stumbled upon this fact while digging for the restoration of the Hazrat Nizamuddin Baoli as part of the Nizamuddin Urban Renewal Project. "What we are trying to demonstrate with our projects at Sunder Nursery, Humayun’s Tomb and Hyderabad, is how, by simply using manpower to desilt a well, the rainwater goes into the aquifer and you can make a big difference. It may not solve our national water problem, but it is a step towards solutions at the local level," says celebrated conservation architect and AKTC India CEO, Ratish Nanda.