Nagpur’s looming water crisis has drawn attention to an 80- to 90-year-old well in Sahakar Nagar that remains filled with water but has been left overgrown and littered with dried leaves and construction debris. The Nagpur Municipal Corporation has now begun surveying wells under its ownership across the city and plans to inspect the neglected site.
The well is located beside a residential locality and is difficult to access because dense vegetation and thick shrubs have grown around it. TOI found further vegetation emerging from inside the structure. A grill covers the opening, which residents said had been installed to protect the well and help conserve it.
Residents estimate that the well retains a substantial quantity of water throughout the year. They said it was used for gardening and other household requirements until around 2010, after which use gradually declined and the structure became a neglected feature of the neighbourhood.
A local resident, who did not wish to be named, told TOI that people had once drawn water from the well for gardening and other household needs. “However, people gradually stopped using the well water, and the well eventually became a neglected feature of the neighbourhood,” the resident said.
The condition of the well has become more significant as Nagpur faces the possibility of water cuts following below-normal rainfall. The source report said the city is bracing for reduced water availability, although the NMC has not announced that the Sahakar Nagar well can immediately be connected to the municipal supply system.
Residents said the water could potentially be used for gardening, construction and cleaning if the well were cleared and its quality assessed. Any such use would first require an inspection of the structure, cleaning of the surrounding area and testing of the water. The supplied report does not establish whether the well is structurally sound or whether its water meets standards for any particular use.
Shrikant Raikar, executive engineer in the NMC’s Public Health Engineering Department, told TOI that a survey of NMC-owned wells across Nagpur had started. Cleaning work has already begun at some locations, he said.
Regarding the Sahakar Nagar well, Raikar said an NMC team would inspect the site to assess its condition and determine the steps needed for its upkeep. The inspection is expected to establish whether the well can be cleaned, maintained or considered for any future local use.
The case highlights the practical challenge of managing older water assets within growing neighbourhoods. While the well remains outside the city’s active water-supply network, its condition and possible utility will depend on the NMC’s inspection, water-quality assessment and decisions on maintenance. The next official step is the planned site inspection by the civic body.
