UTTAR PRADESH : The world’s oldest living city has long been a favourite destination for religious tourists. However, after becoming PM Narendra Modi’s constituency in 2014 and undergoing a remarkable infrastructural transformation, Varanasi has witnessed a manifold increase in footfall. While this growth boosted the city’s revenue, it also placed enormous pressure on its resources, with the groundwater table among the worst affected.
As the city grappled with the pandemic, it was simultaneously battling a growing water crisis. The problem caught the attention of a young IAS officer who joined as Chief Development Officer in 2022. Known for his proactive approach, 27-year-old Himanshu Nagpal is also credited with revamping the district’s Anganwadi centres. Faced with the water crisis, he did not look for extraordinary solutions; instead, he focused on making better use of existing resources.
Varanasi’s groundwater problem had been building for years. Hotels, businesses and households were drawing large quantities of water through borewells—much like repeatedly withdrawing money from a bank account without making any deposits. Although regulations required them to harvest rainwater, particularly from rooftops, and allow it to percolate into the ground to replenish depleted reserves, compliance was poor.
At the same time, schools and colleges faced a completely different challenge. Every monsoon, their campuses flooded, creating stagnant pools of water and disrupting daily activities. During a discussion with a college principal about waterlogging, Nagpal realised that the two problems could, in fact, solve each other.
Instead of forcing companies to install rainwater harvesting systems in small, cramped spaces, the administration proposed using the large rooftops of public buildings such as schools, hospitals and government offices. Rainwater collected from these roofs could be channelled underground, replenishing groundwater reserves while preventing campus flooding. What appeared to be a simple shift in thinking proved to be a powerful solution.
Schools were relieved of chronic waterlogging, companies found a practical way to meet regulatory requirements, and the city began gradually restoring its depleted groundwater reserves. However, identifying the solution was only the first step. A closer investigation revealed a startling gap between regulation and reality.
Each year, only around 30 people sought official permission to extract groundwater, yet nearly 700 borewells were being installed. The administration responded by surveying more than 1,400 borewells, issuing notices to violators, sealing around 150 illegal installations and disconnecting their electricity supply.
The crackdown created immediate awareness and urgency. Soon, nearly 800 people applied for the necessary permissions, many admitting they had previously ignored the rules because they lacked space for rainwater harvesting systems. The shared-rooftop model provided them with a practical alternative. The initiative quickly expanded across the district. Around 1,000 public buildings were equipped with rainwater harvesting systems, and today more than 70 percent of government buildings are part of the programme.
With every rainfall, water that would otherwise have been lost now becomes an opportunity to recharge the city’s aquifers. But Nagpal recognised that no single intervention could solve such a deep-rooted problem and pushed for multiple measures simultaneously.
Hundreds of small ponds, known as Amrit Sarovars, were created to capture rainwater and allow it to gradually seep into the soil. “A heavily polluted river called the Nad, which had effectively become a drain over the years, was cleaned along a 30-kilometre stretch. As the river came back to life, it began providing cleaner water, supporting agriculture and reducing disease in dozens of nearby villages,” says Nagpal.
Smaller but equally significant interventions were introduced at the grassroots level. Around 6,000 handpumps were fitted with soak pits to ensure that excess water flowed back into the ground instead of being wasted. Experts were brought in to study local wetlands and found that restoring these ecosystems could improve year-round water storage and support surrounding villages.
Gradually, these efforts began to yield results. Groundwater levels began to rise, and areas such as Pindra—which had once faced severe shortages that led to a ban on groundwater extraction—began to recover following the river’s revival.
Nagpal, who was transferred at the end of 2025 but continues to serve in Varanasi as Municipal Commissioner, emphasises a simple yet powerful message: “Water is not endless. In cities, turning on a tap can create the illusion that supply will never run out. But in many rural areas, people still walk long distances for a single bucket of water. The effort in Varanasi is about changing the way people think about water.”