Hyderabad: A 300-year-old stepwell on the Osmania University campus in Adikmet, which had long been reduced to a garbage dump holding nearly 3,000 tonne of waste, has been restored and inaugurated on the occasion of World Heritage Day.
The three-year restoration was undertaken by the Society for the Advancement of Human Endeavour in collaboration with the government, with financial support from Dodla Dairy. The effort was spearheaded by architect Kalpana Ramesh, founder of The Rainwater Project, and gallerist Annapurna Madipadig.
The revived stepwell is now functional, with 20,000 to 35,000 litres of water drawn from it daily for plantation activities on the campus. A filtration system has also been installed at the site. Ramesh said the resource could potentially be extended to serve the university’s hostels, which house around 5,000 students.
“It is a privilege to have such a significant piece of heritage on the university campus,” she told The Hindu, adding that several other stepwells on campus also require urgent attention.
The restoration offers a renewed glimpse into Hyderabad’s layered water heritage, officials said.
This post was last modified on April 20, 2026 7:32 am