Saved in 500 Days, Stepwell With 22 Lakh Litres Capacity Was Full of 2000 Tonnes Waste

Originally reported and written in January 2023, this story has been republished as part of our archival content. Located at Bansilalpet in Secunderabad, this 17th-century six-level stepwell represents the heritage of Telangana, but has remained neglected for decades. The Bansilalpet stepwell has the capacity to store 22 lakh litres of water. Instead, it was filled with 2,000 tonnes of waste. Left in ruins, it had turned into a dumping site over the past four decades.   In order to restore the stepwell to its former glory, Hyderabad-based architect Kalpana Ramesh from ‘The Rainwater Project...