₹58 Crore Plan Will Restore 25 Ponds, 30 Kunds and 100 Wells in Varanasi

Varanasi: A ₹58 crore programme will restore 25 ponds, 30 kunds and 100 community wells across the city, bringing a large group of traditional water bodies under one coordinated conservation project.

Power Finance Corporation Limited signed an agreement with Varanasi Municipal Corporation on 17 July to fund the work through its corporate social responsibility programme. Varanasi Smart City will implement the project, which combines desilting, water purification, structural repair and environmental redevelopment.

The agreement was signed in the presence of Mayor Ashok Tiwari, PFC Chairperson and Managing Director Parminder Chopra, and Municipal Commissioner and Varanasi Smart City CEO Himanshu Nagpal. Officials said the work would use organised, modern methods while relying on environmentally friendly systems to maintain water quality.

Which water bodies are included

The pond component covers environmental redevelopment at Sarnath and desilting or desludging at major sites including Kandwa, Sandaha, Revagir, Sarangnath, Police Lines and Pandeypur. The kund programme includes Ranipokhari, Konia Baitarni Kund, Kurukshetra Pond, Sona Pond, Baba Jagannath Das Sarovar and Pongalpur among the 30 locations identified for restoration and purification.

The separate well component will repair 100 community wells. That work is significant in older neighbourhoods where wells remain part of the local water landscape even when they are no longer a household’s primary supply. Restoring them can protect a decentralised water asset while reducing unsafe dumping and stagnation around neglected sites.

Why the project matters

Varanasi’s ponds and kunds serve more than one purpose. They store rainwater, support groundwater recharge, provide habitat and form part of the city’s religious and cultural geography. When silt, sewage or solid waste reduces their capacity, both heritage and urban resilience are affected.

The planned work arrives as residents are already watching the city’s water systems closely during the monsoon. Recent changes in the Ganga’s level have underlined how quickly water conditions can shift, while the municipal body is also preparing infrastructure for periods of heavy pilgrim movement.

The agreement establishes the funding and scope, but residents will need location-wise schedules, safeguards against sewage inflow and a maintenance plan after construction. The project’s long-term value will depend on whether cleaned sites remain protected, monitored and connected to their natural catchments rather than being treated only as beautification works.