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Qutub baoli lies neglected, Mehrauli thirsts for water

Govt and ASI make elaborate plans to revive step-wells but more than 20 baolis are on the verge of dying

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The Qutub baoli is in a terrible shape, covered in filth and muck
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Even though the state government and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have made elaborate plans to revive step-wells, commonly known as baolis in the national Capital, nothing concrete has happened on the ground yet. The city is home to over 20 baolis, many of which lie buried under the earth or obscured by modern construction. The heritage structures are gradually vanishing from the cityscape due to the lack of awareness and authorities’ apathy.

The most prominent example of this neglect is the 800-year-old Qutub baoli inside the Sufi shrine of Bakhtiyar Kaki in south Delhi’s Mehrauli area.

The Qutub baoli is over 60 feet deep and still has fresh water. During monsoon, the water comes up to 70 feet or more. As many as 73 steps go down the step-well, making it deeper than six apartment floors. The baoli is in a terrible shape, covered in filth and muck. The government had cleaned it up during the Commonwealth Games in 2010. Thereafter, nobody bothered to visit the place.  

Fauzan Siddiqui, manager of the Khwaja Bakhtiyar Kaki shrine since 2008, said: “The step-well was cleaned in 2010, but no measures were taken to make use of the water. So, it got covered with filth and garbage again. The water is sweet and fit for use though.”

In summers, the nearby areas face a severe shortage of water. But nobody makes use of the step-well inside the dargah, which is easy to miss as it is covered with garbage. One has to look down from a high wall to spot what is now green, filthy water, with plastic bags floating in it.

The dargah committee has written to the Delhi Jal Board (DJB) several times to make the baoli water fit for public use, but to no avail. A resident near the shrine said: “The step-well water is potable. The water scarcity problem in the nearby areas can be resolved if the state government revives the baoli.”

The Qutub baoli can store approximately 5,500 kilolitres of water. Shrine manager Siddiqui said: “The DJB can keep the revenue, we just need the step-well up and running as the water is good for use. Despite the Delhi Chief Minister saying that the baolis should be revived, not much has been done.”

Last month, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had told Water Minister Kapil Mishra to prepare a blueprint to revive all water bodies in order to solve the problem of water shortage in the national Capital.

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