From Stepwells to Sponge Cities Rediscovering India’s Water Wisdom for Climate Resilience

Urban India is increasingly vulnerable to the dual pressure of extreme rainfall events and prolonged water scarcity, both intensified by climate change and unplanned urbanization. In this context, the sponge city model, which emphasizes permeability, water retention, and natural drainage, offers a compelling framework for climate-resilient urban development. Interestingly, India’s traditional water infrastructure—such as stepwells (baolis), johads, kunds, and interconnected lake systems—had already embodied sponge-like principles centuries ago.

This paper explores the potential for integrating traditional water wisdom into contemporary sponge city strategies through a qualitative comparative case study of three heritage cities—Jaisalmer, Udaipur, and Jodhpur. Each of these urban centres represent a distinct climatic and hydrological condition, ranging from extreme aridity to hill-based lake systems.

By analysing historical water systems alongside present-day urban challenges, the study develops a comparative framework to reinterpret traditional systems as functional sponge infrastructure. The findings suggest that these heritage-based approaches can inform decentralized, low-carbon, and climate-resilient urban planning. In the Indian context, sponge thinking is not an imported idea, but an indigenous logic that can be reactivated through design and policy integration.