Archive · 16 Jan 2026
IAS Officer Revives Varanasi's Water Table
A smart IAS officer named Himanshu Nagpal had a great idea to fix the water problem in Varanasi.
He noticed that many companies were taking water from the ground but not putting any back.
He thought of using the roofs of schools and other public buildings to collect rainwater and put it back into the ground.
This helped solve two problems at once: it stopped water from flooding the schools and gave the companies a place to put the rainwater.
Himanshu also built many big ponds and cleaned up a dirty river to help even more.
Because of all these efforts, the water table in Varanasi has gone up, and people have more water to use.
Himanshu wants everyone to be careful with water so that there will be enough for the future.
Himanshu Nagpal, the CDO of Varanasi, implemented rooftop rainwater harvesting systems on 1,000 public buildings to address groundwater depletion.
Private companies were required to install rainwater harvesting systems to replenish groundwater they extracted, but faced space constraints.
The district administration identified and sealed 150 illegal borewells, leading to 800 applications for groundwater extraction permits.
A multi-pronged approach included constructing 393 artificial ponds, rehabilitating the Nad river, and integrating water-soak pits around 6,000 handpumps.
The water table in Varanasi has improved by 0.8 to 1 metre in the last two years, with significant increases in areas like Pindra.
- Who
- Himanshu Nagpal, CDO of Varanasi, and various stakeholders including private companies, public buildings, and government agencies
- What
- Implementation of rooftop rainwater harvesting systems and other water conservation measures to revive the water table in Varanasi
- When
- Over the past two years, with ongoing projects
- Where
- Varanasi, India
- Why
- To address groundwater depletion and ensure sustainable water resources for the region
- Location
- Varanasi, India
- Initiative
- Rooftop rainwater harvesting systems
- Public Buildings Equipped
- 1,000
- Artificial Ponds Constructed
- 393
- Water Table Improvement
- 0.8 to 1 metre increase in 2 years
- Funding
- Rs 80 crore in 2 years
- Key Person
- Himanshu Nagpal, CDO of Varanasi
- Collaborators
- World Wildlife Fund, IIT-BHU, gram panchayats, NREGA workers