Historic nehers of Aurangabad now 'jal itihas' of India

AURANGABAD: The Ministry of Jal Shakti has selected Neher-e-Ambari and Neher-e-Panchakki from Aurangabad in the list of 75 most significant Water Heritage Structures in India.
The inclusion of 400-year-old heritage water systems in Aurangabad will pave way for the preservation of these underground water ducts and is expected to attract much-needed international attention and importance, the civic authorities said.
Dhamapur lake in Sindhudurg district, Baramotichi Vihir, a stepwell in Satara district, and Raigad Fort in Raigad are the other water heritage structures from Maharashtra on the list.
Aditya Tiwari, assistant project manager with Aurangabad Smart City Development Corporation Limited (ASCDCL), said the government has formally recognized the nehers of Aurangabad as part of 'jal itihas' in official portal of the Water Resources Information System (WRIS).
"The architectural marvels in the form of nehers of Aurangabad were not owned officially so far, but now the Centre will be the caretaker of the structures now. With this, we can plan effective rejuvenation of these ducts by involving experts from India and abroad," he said.
Tiwari said each nehers in Aurangabad is a one-of-its-kind advanced water distribution system across the globe.
"We can find such ducts in Iran, but that system is somewhat primitive when compared to nehers of Aurangabad. Bidar in Karnataka has such underground water duct too, but it is too small when compared to the Aurangabad one," he said.
The work on rejuvenation of the Kham river taken up under former Aurangabad municipal commissioner and current district collector Astik Kumar Pandey proved significant in the nehers of Aurangabad getting the recognition.
Current municipal chief Abhijeet Chaudhari was instrumental in guiding the ASCDCL team in making the necessary submission before the Central authorities, ASCDCL authorities said, making special mention of veteran historian Shiakh Ramzan in gathering the required details for charting the proposal.
The ASCDCL team involving Arpita Sharad along with Aditya Tiwari Sneha Nair and Sneha Bakshi had visited New Delhi in March 2021 and explained the importance of the Kham River Rejuvenation Project and the heritage nehers of Aurangabad.