India’s water crisis — driven by climate pressures, urbanisation and declining water bodies — has prompted renewed interest in age-old solutions that once sustained communities across the subcontinent. Traditional structures such as stepwells, lakes and tanks, long neglected and degraded, are being revived as living assets to collect rain, recharge groundwater and provide local water access year-round. This movement is gaining global attention for its blend of heritage, science and community engagement.

Environmental activist Arun Krishnamurthy and the Environmentalist Foundation of India (EFI) are featured in a CNN documentary for restoring hundreds of water bodies across 19 states over nearly two decades with volunteer-powered conservation work. EFI has revitalised lakes, ponds and tanks, clearing waste, managing inflows, and re-establishing ecological balances that support both human needs and local biodiversity. Now, the focus is expanding to include ancient stepwells — subterranean reservoirs that historically captured monsoon water and kept it accessible in dry months. These stepwells combine ingenious design with deep cultural significance and can play a role in modern water security efforts. 

Revival efforts don’t rely on high-tech fixes alone; they draw on ancestral craftsmanship, community stewardship and ecological principles to trap water where it falls and slow its escape from the landscape. As water scarcity intensifies across India, these restored water bodies are emerging as practical, resilient models that mesh traditional wisdom with contemporary environmental urgency — offering both resource and reminder that water has always been central to life, culture and survival on the subcontinent.