A new project, addressing to India's growing water crisis, has been launched by World Monuments Fund (WMF), the leading independent organization devoted to safeguarding the world’s most treasured places to enrich people’s lives and build mutual understanding across cultures and communities. 

Officially announced on 14 February by WMF, the major initiative will tackle with the growing water crisis for communities across India through the revitalization of traditional water management systems and the reinforcement of Indigenous knowledge.

India has been struggling with infrastructural problems and water crisis for years. Although India has 16 percent of the world's population, it only has 4 percent of its water resources. Three quarters of their families in rural India do not have access to piped, potable water and have to rely on unsafe sources. 

Thus, from water contamination to the destruction of watersheds, damage to traditional water bodies has compromised access to water in the country. 

World Monuments Fund (WMF) will work with Indian multinational information technology services and consulting company Tata Consultancy Services Ltd (TCS) another local partners to address the issue.

The initiative, called Historic Water Bodies of India, is developed as a long-term project to identify and restore not just structures but in fact address the environmental issues around water access. 

This project will build on WMF’s inclusion of the Historic Water Systems of the Deccan Plateau on the 2020 World Monuments Watch, stated in a press release. 

View of the Taj Bawdi water tank in Bijapur, India. Image courtesy World Monuments Fund

Project aims to restore and recover traditional water systems, augmenting and strengthening depleting resources and ensuring increased access to water

Access to water bodies was once a central consideration for the settlement and survival of any civilization. In recent decades, with intense development pressures and the advent of piped water supplies into cities, these structures have been marginalized and fallen into decay. 

This partnership reinforces a national call to recover historic water bodies across India. In addition, with the impact of climate change there is a far greater need to safeguard ground water and watersheds as part of our commitment to ensure water access in the future. WMF India’s partnership with TCS will address these issues at select sites across the country.

Addressing the impacts of climate change through heritage preservation has become an increasingly important priority for WMF. 

In 2020, WMF made climate change a pillar of the 2022 World Monuments Watch, which will launch a new series of projects demonstrating strategies for climate change mitigation. 

The Historic Water Bodies of India project presents an opportunity to work at the intersection of contemporary issues, including the impacts of urbanization and climate change on access to clean water.

View of the Taj Bawdi water tank in Bijapur, India. Image courtesy World Monuments Fund

"The initiative aims at increasing access to clean water for communities across India"

"As climate change continues to intensify around the world, impacting our built environment and the people who depend on it, World Monuments Fund India is committed to working with communities to develop solutions to mitigate the negative impacts, securing access to water through conservation and management will contribute significantly," said Amita Baig, WMF India Executive Director. 

"Our work on the Historic Water Bodies of India is an example of this. We are delighted to partner with Tata Consultancy Services and look forward to developing this important initiative aimed at increasing access to clean water for communities across India."  

The overall scope of this project includes development of a comprehensive repository of information on traditional water systems and associated structures in India that will inform selection of future rehabilitation projects. 

Once rehabilitated, these functional water management systems can dramatically improve community access to clean water.

View of the Taj Bawdi water tank in Bijapur, India. Image courtesy World Monuments Fund

The project will take place in stages

In the first phase of the project, all available data on the traditional water systems across India will be studied to produce an overview of the country’s various systems. 

This study is the first step toward recognizing the importance of India’s traditional water systems and assessing their extent. The data gathered will highlight gaps in documentation and help define next steps.

The research in these preliminary phases will allow WMF to identify sites that require action, while the final phase will determine which of those water bodies and systems can be restored and, with effective management, contribute significantly to address local needs. Primary research, site surveys, and analysis will result in associated conservation plans.

Historically, forts and settlements around water bodies were completely dependent on captive water systems like rivers and lakes or built systems like wells and tanks. 

Over time, these built systems (like those in Burhanpur, Bidar, and Bijapur) became more elaborate, made up of a combination of wells and underground water channels, and protected watersheds.

India has among the widest range of historic monuments in a single geographic region. Celebrating the incredible diversity of the country’s heritage has been central to World Monuments Fund’s (WMF) work in India over 25 years, safeguarding not only the most endangered sites but also those which have cherished pride of place within communities.

WMF’s first engagement in India began in 1996 after placing the Taj Mahal on the World Monuments Watch, which was quoted in the preamble to the Supreme Court of India’s landmark judgment highlighting international concern for the site.

Top image: View of the Taj Bawdi water tank in Bijapur, India. Image courtesy World Monuments Fund.

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