
The lawns of Purana Qila in historic New Delhi are a brighter green thanks to a stepwell. In Rajasthan, the Toorji ka jhalra stepwell in Jodhpur and Moosi Rani Sagar stepwell in Alwar have a fresh lease of life. And in Hyderabad, the Bansilalpet stepwell is a performance venue. Stepwells are created by digging deep down into the earth and making use of natural aquifers to trap rainwater and groundwater. In New Delhi, over 16 stepwells have been restored, contributing more than 33,000 gallons of water per day. In Jodhpur, the number is as high as 6.2 million gallons per day. In Jaipur, more than 25,000 people are now getting a regular supply of fresh water from seven cleaned and restored stepwells. Some have been repurposed into tourist attractions, providing jobs, cafes and souvenir shops.
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