The Mee Baavi movement has been launched in Telangana to seek legal protection, restoration and revival of historic stepwells as water scarcity and groundwater depletion intensify in Hyderabad. The initiative, led by city-based heritage conservation organisation Akarmaa, aims to reposition the neglected structures as functional water reservoirs and groundwater recharge systems.
Akarmaa will hold a panel discussion at KBR Park at 4.30 pm on November 13. The organisation will also stage a photo exhibition at the park and other public places to raise awareness about Telangana’s stepwells and the traditional technologies used to store water.
The movement was announced by Akarmaa co-founder Arunima, who said the organisation was seeking legal protection for hundreds of decades-old stepwells across the State. The campaign’s name, Mee Baavi, means “Your Stepwell” and is intended to connect the conservation of the structures with public ownership and responsibility.
According to Arunima, Akarmaa has already taken up several stepwells for conservation. The organisation said the conserved structures recharge more than 500 lakh litres of water annually. It argued that protecting individual structures would not be sufficient and called for a broader approach involving policy support and coordination with stakeholders.
The proposed use of stepwells places heritage conservation within Hyderabad’s wider water-management challenge. Rather than treating the structures only as historical monuments, the movement seeks to restore their original role in storing water and supporting groundwater recharge. The organisation said this could help bring subterranean infrastructure back into the city’s water system.
Akarmaa attributed the worsening water situation to a severe “Super El Niño” phenomenon, as stated by Arunima. The source report did not provide additional data or an official assessment detailing the phenomenon’s impact on Hyderabad’s groundwater conditions.
The movement also seeks to change how water heritage is discussed. Akarmaa said water should be understood not only as a resource to be accessed and managed, but also as a shared inheritance requiring care, responsibility and protection as part of the commons.
The November 13 panel and exhibition are expected to serve as the initiative’s next public engagement activities. Akarmaa’s stated priorities are policy intervention, stakeholder participation and legal protection for Telangana’s stepwells.
