Hyderabad: Revival of Bowlis begins, finally

Gudimalkapur: After facing official apathy for decades, the Bowlis (stepwells) located across the State are all set to be revived back to life.

Bowlis, the heritage stepwells of the State which were filled with plastic and tons of debris are soon going to be restored to their past glory, The Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) on Tuesday initiated the restoration works of step-wells in the city by taking up the cleaning drive of two age-old Bowlis in the city.

According to the Principal Secretary of Municipal Administration and Urban Development (MA&UD) and Metropolitan Commissioner, Arvind Kumar, as part of the ongoing drive to clean, restore and protect as many as stepwells in the State, the HMDA has started the first phase of the restoration process by taking up the cleaning drive of two stepwells called Bhagwandas Bagh Bowli and Shiv Bagh Bowli located in Guidmalkapur.

After successfully restoring the Moazam Jahi (MJ) Market, the MA&UD department is planning to restore the old stepwells of the Telangana State. The department has listed around 170 stepwells on their list which will be soon restored in a phased manner. These stepwells were earlier in a neglected situation and most of them were encroached by the land sharks.

Stepwells exist in the State since the Qutub Shahi period and even some of the wells were formed during the Nizam period, which used to be a source of water for a large number population of Hyderabad. These stepwells are present in heritage monuments, old mosques, temples, and also in various residential areas.

Moreover, some NGOs and conservation activists have also taken up the pre-restoration works of stepwells in the city and seeking government help for the complete restoration of neglected stepwells.

Earlier, several officials of MA&UD, HMDA, and GHMC visited the Baolis including Bhagwandas Bagh Bowli and Shiv Bagh Bowli in Gudimalkapur. Arvind Kumar urged NGOs, agencies, and corporates, who wished to take up restoration work as CSR projects. The State government has embarked upon the project of restoring historic stepwells.