Of late, water conservation has been a buzzword in Delhi with the Delhi government exploring various ways and means of water conservation. Heritage buildings in Delhi present fine examples of conservation and mobilisation of rain water to quench the city’s thirst. Historians say that water has been the driving force behind many administrative decisions by the successive rulers of Delhi through the centuries. Ratish Nanda, CEO, Aga Khan Trust for Culture (India), says “Usually the Mughals were building gardens on the hillside, like in Afghanistan and Iran. The Humayun’s tomb was the first attempt at building a garden on the plains. So they built it on the river itself.” When the Trust began restoration of the tomb in 2007, they found evidence of river water being lifted for the fountains through underground terracotta pipes.