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| Click here to enlarge |
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| General view of Baoli from Northwest corner (1916-20) |
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| Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture |
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Survival of water bodies is critical for Indian cities. They prevent floods as well as recharge the groundwater. Today these depressions in the ground are either encroached or have become garbage dumps. In Delhi, the NGOs have moved the High Court asking for the revival of the lakes and the step wells. The effort taken by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) in reviving the baoli (stepwell) at Nizamuddin is no doubt laudable. Ratish Nanda of the trust asserts that this is not their first initiative, “We had earlier protested against the encroachment of a baoli in Kotla Mubarakpur, south of Delhi.”
The conservation work is a part of ‘Humayun’s Tomb – Sunder Nursery – Hazrat Nizamuddin Basti Urban renewal’. The project commenced after a signature of a Public Private Partnership (PPP) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on July 11, 2007. The public parties are Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Central Public Works Department (CPWD), and Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). AKTC and Aga Khan Foundation India (AKFI) are the private partners. According to the trust, an urgent need to conserve the baoli was felt when portions of its walls collapsed in the month of July last year. It was also noticed that the water in the well is highly contaminated by the sewage that was flowing into it from the neighboring areas. The wuzu (the ceremony of washing face, hands and feet before praying) water the mosque was also entering the water body.
Work of AKTC
The present project has distinct socio-economic objectives, which are coupled with conservation, and environmental development objectives.
AKTC tried to involve local people in the renovation of the well. They started the mission with public awareness. They feel that involvement of the community is very essential. They went to corporation schools in the slum area to spread their ideas. Only after detailed discussion with the community they started the repair work. Nanda says, “One of the first steps we undertook after the collapse of the baoli was to initiate discussion with the local community, dargah committee – they were initially apprehensive – we promised to de-silt the baoli till original levels – which was achieved. Passage to the dargah had to be blocked for about a month –possible only with community support. “
Repair started with draining out the water from the well and cleaning of the muck. According to Ratish Nanda, project director, AKTC over 15,000 man-days by skilled craftsmen are involved to rebuild the collapsed portion and remove the garbage accumulated over centuries. 100 m of sewer line was relayed and connected to the main line of the area. According to Nanda, the water of the baoli was protected from further contamination. “At the beginning of the work the E. coli count was 600 but the trust was able to bring down the count to acceptable limit”, says Nanda.
Speaking on the catchment, Nanda says that it is no doubt that the area is completely encroached. This stops groundwater recharge, which will feed the underground spring and ultimately the well. The encroachment also stops the penetration of sunlight into the water body. The penetration of light upto 50 feet is very important to keep the water free from harmful alage and bacteria.
The AKTC has sanctioned nearly Rs. 1 crore for the project, of which Rs. 40 lakh has already been spent. The main catchment area of this step well has been completely encroached.
Future
The effort is no doubt admirable where government and private organizations are coming together and helping the community. This initiative promises not only to restore the architecture of the baoli but also to improve the water quality. It is the only baoli in the city where underground springs still feeds the well. The groundwater feeding this spring is under the threat of deterioration of quality and quantity. These problems arise as the colonies around the water body are highly dependent on the groundwater. The quality is strained as polluted water from the nearby Nizamuddin nullah slowly seeps down. The encroached catchment stops natural recharge. The revival of the catchment area involves complicated legal, social and economic issues. Nearly eighteen families occupy the area. MCD has proposed to relocate the families. AKTC plans to contribute about Rs. 35, 000 per family. The trust even proposes a filtration unit to ensure that the water is cleaned of impurities.
Pointing to the satellite imagery of the Nizamuddin area, Nanda shows how the area around the baoli is totally urbanized compared to other areas. To facilitate the recharge of the groundwater, the trust will increase the number of trees and take the help of landscape architects to increase the green area around the Nizamuddin nullah. In the long run ASI is responsible to maintain the well. A serious effort to maintain the catchment in future should be taken up by the ASI.
Baoli in the Nizamuddin Dargah
A baoli at Nizamuddin Dargah lies near the northern gate of the enclosure of the Dargah. Saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya had built the baoli in the year 1321-22. This was the time when the emperor Ghiyath-ud-Din Tughluq was engaged in building Tughluqabad. The Sultan wanted the masons working on the baoli to concentrate on his fortress of Tughlakbad. But the masons were so much devoted to the saint that they worked on the baoli secretly at night. This baoli thus became a cause of contention between Ghiyasuddin Tughlak and the saint. To stop the masons the emperor even banned the sale of oil. It is believed that the workers used the water of the baoli for oil, and it served the purpose equally well.
The pilgrims consider the baoli holy and they used to take holy dips to cure skin diseases. In recent years the sewage from the neighboring area started to flow in and the baoli was full of polythene bags, cigarettes and other refuse before the present restoration work started. The water has turned green due to the algal growth. In 2003, Union Ministry of Tourism and Culture released Rs. 2 crores to renovate the baoli. Rs. 12 lakh was allocated only for cleaning purpose. CPWD even planned to drain out the contaminated water and later on fill it up with fresh water. The baoli was still crying for help. This is the time when AKTC stepped in to renovate the whole of the Nizamuddin slum area. Restoration of the baoli was a part of the slum area renewal program. |
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