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[[File:Kalpana Ramesh, founder of The Rainwater Project, with Pavan Santosh and Nitesh Gill during a collaboration meeting on project documentation..jpg|alt=Kalpana Ramesh, Founder of The Rainwater Project, with Pavan Santosh and Nitesh Gill during a project documentation collaboration meeting at IIIT Hyderabad.|thumb|Kalpana Ramesh, Founder of The Rainwater Project, with Pavan Santosh and Nitesh Gill during a project documentation collaboration meeting at IIIT Hyderabad.]]
'''Kalpana Ramesh''' is an [[India]]n interior and garden designer and [[Environmentalism|environmentalist]], based in [[Hyderabad]]. She is the co-founder and [[Chief executive officer|CEO]] of the rainwater project, a [[social enterprise]] which helps individuals and communities with sustainable [[rainwater harvesting]], [[water conservation]] and [[Water resources|water management]]. She is known as a ‘water warrior’ for her work in water conservation. She has led initiatives Save 10K bores, Live the Lakes and Blue Hyderabad. She has also revived over 25 [[stepwell]]s in the state of [[Telangana]] with the support of the local administration and community participation.

== Work ==
Ramesh moved to Hyderabad in 2000. The city was facing a severe [[Water Crisis|water crisis]]. Local water shortages led to tankers being used to deliver chlorinated water to residential districts. Becoming interested in water self-reliance and water independence, Ramesh first tried rainwater harvesting in her own home. She used a system of nets, filters and treatments to provide water that was then clean enough to drink. Next, she successfully recycled [[Greywater|grey water]] for use in her garden. Her household became water tanker free and [[water positive]]. Ramesh convinced her housing association to try these methods too. Ramesh then aimed to scale up these methods, block by block, until it was a city-wide endeavour encouraging awareness that unless something was done the city might run out of water completely in ten years’ time.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2026-02-26 |title=Ancient stepwells brought back to life as India begins to run out of water |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/feb/26/ancient-stepwells-brought-back-india-run-out-water-day-zero |access-date=2026-03-26 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref><ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD-LS1EO_1w |title=The Last Mile For Water {{!}} Kalpana Ramesh {{!}} TEDxMITID |date=2018-02-28 |last=TEDx Talks |access-date=2026-03-26 |via=YouTube}}</ref>

In 2015, Ramesh joined the [[Non-governmental organization|NGO]] the Society for Advancement of Human Endeavor (SAHE) and led their water conservation work,<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://saheindia.in/about/ |access-date=2026-03-26 |website=SAHE : Society for Advancement of Human Endeavour |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Blue Hyderabad |url=https://saheindia.in/blue-hyderabad/ |access-date=2026-03-26 |website=SAHE : Society for Advancement of Human Endeavour |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=SAVE 10K BORES - SAHE INITIATIVE |url=https://saheindia.in/save10kbores/ |access-date=2026-03-26 |website=SAHE : Society for Advancement of Human Endeavour |language=en-US}}</ref> becoming known as a 'water warrior'.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gaudium |first=The |date=2021-07-26 |title=A talk with Hyderabad's water warrior Kalpana Ramesh |url=https://www.thegaudium.com/a-talk-with-hyderabads-water-warrior-kalpana-ramesh/ |access-date=2026-03-26 |website=International School In Hyderabad |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Water conservation champion Kalpana Ramesh throws light on 'Every Drop Matters' |url=https://sociostory.org/impact-stories/water-conservation-champion-kalpana-ramesh-throws-light-on-every-drop-matters |access-date=2026-03-26 |website=sociostory.org |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-15 |title=Kalpana Ramesh - Alliance Leaders - Women's Earth Alliance |url=https://leaders.womensearthalliance.org/leader/kalpana-ramesh/ |access-date=2026-03-26 |website=leaders.womensearthalliance.org |language=en-US}}</ref>

At that time there was a local endeavour to document the hundred or so stepwells of Telangana. Stepwells were built throughout India between the eleventh and eighteenth centuries, abandoned under British rule due to hygiene concerns,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Raghavan |first=Sekhar |date=2009-08-21 |title=Rainwater harvesting in India: Traditional and contemporary |url=https://www.indiawaterportal.org/drinking-water/rainwater-harvesting-india-traditional-and-contemporary |access-date=2026-03-26 |website=India Water Portal |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Tadgell |first=Christopher |title=The History of Architecture in India |publisher=[[Phaidon Press]] |year=1990 |isbn=0-7148-2960-9 |location=London}}</ref> and are now often used as rubbish dumps. Ramesh and the Rainwater Project,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home - therainwaterproject |url=http://therainwaterproject.com/ |access-date=2026-03-26 |language=en}}</ref> with the support of the Telangana Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department, have now revived 25 stepwells so that they are sustainable water sources.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Abhyankar |first=Shoma |date=26 February 2026 |title=Ancient stepwells brought back to life as India begins to run out of water |work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Pratap |first=Rashmi |title=Kalpana Ramesh: The architect leading restoration of Telangana's historic stepwells |url=https://30stades.com/2022/05/06/kalpana-ramesh-rainwater-project-architect-restoration-of-telanganas-historic-stepwells-water-conservation/ |access-date=2026-03-26 |website=30stades.com |language=en}}</ref> The [[Bansilalpet Stepwell]], for example, also known as ''Nagannakunta'', is a 17th-century [[stepwell]] that was restored in 2022 by the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and The Rainwater Project. Ramesh also worked with the Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board (HMWSSB) for three months on a water saving campaign plan.<ref>{{Cite AV media |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FD-LS1EO_1w |title=The Last Mile For Water {{!}} Kalpana Ramesh {{!}} TEDxMITID |date=2018-02-28 |last=TEDx Talks |access-date=2026-03-26 |via=YouTube}}</ref> After attending workshops and talking with government officials and water management specialists, Ramesh found out that ground water sources were drying up and that water shortages throughout the city were acute. Lakes in Hyderabad are the largest water catchment sites, given the amount of land given over to building and development. Ramesh thus started the ‘Live the Lakes’ initiative with SAHE by concentrating first on restoring the dead, eight-acre, Kudikunta lake, cleaning up plastic, animal waste and sewage. SAHE and Ramesh have now drawn up individual strategies for each of over 60 lakes in the Hyderabad area and, with community, government and NGO support, have formed a Lake Protection Committee. Ramesh also created the Save10KBores conservation project, encouraging over 200 families to revive their defunct boreholes.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dundoo |first=Sangeetha Devi |date=2019-04-15 |title=Kalpana Ramesh, who bats for SAHE's 'Save 10K Bores' campaign in Hyderabad |url=https://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/planet-healers-kalpana-ramesh-who-bats-for-sahes-save-10k-bores-campaign-in-hyderabad-explains-how-rainwater-can-be-harnessed/article26842741.ece |access-date=2026-03-26 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Patel |first=Tanvi |title=Harvesting water & saving lakes: Meet Hyderabad's water warrior %%page%% %%sep%% %%sitename%% |url=https://thebetterindia.com/148881/harvesting-water-saving-lakes-hyderabad/ |access-date=2026-03-26 |website=thebetterindia.com |language=en}}</ref>

The ‘Rainwater Project’, understanding that community awareness of the water crisis is key, encourages school students to come up with conservation ideas and also involves restaurants, theatres, and colleges in block by block rainwater harvesting, waste water saving and recycling.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gaudium |first=The |date=2021-07-26 |title=A talk with Hyderabad's water warrior Kalpana Ramesh |url=https://www.thegaudium.com/a-talk-with-hyderabads-water-warrior-kalpana-ramesh/ |access-date=2026-03-26 |website=International School In Hyderabad |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Awards ==

In 2020, Ramesh was one of the ‘Magnificent seven’ women entrusted with handling the [[Prime Minister of India]]’s social media accounts on [[International Women's Day|International Women’s Day]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=8 March 2020 |title=Get out, work yourself: 'Mushroom Mahila' message to women |work=[[India New England News]]}}</ref>

Ramesh gained the [[Stree Shakti Puraskar|Stree Shakti]] Water Conservation Hero Award in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Kalpana Ramesh Honoured with the "Stree Shakti Water Conservation Hero Award 2025" A Pracharam Media Initiative Led by Author & Business Coach MD Naidu Celebrates Women Who Transform India |url=https://www.prweb.in/article/308/kalpana-ramesh-honoured-with-the-stree-shakti-water-conservation-hero-award-2025-a-pracharam-media-initiative-led-by-author-business-coach-md-naidu-celebrates-women-who-transform-india |access-date=2026-03-26 |website=PRWeb.in |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Nari Shakti Puraskar |url=https://socialwelfare.vikaspedia.in/viewcontent/social-welfare/women-and-child-development/women-development-1/nari-shakti-puraskar?lgn=en |access-date=2026-03-26 |website=socialwelfare.vikaspedia.in |language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Hyderabad, India]]
[[Category:Indian women environmentalists]]
[[Category:Indian women designers]]
[[Category:Water conservation]]
[[Category:Water management authorities in India]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

Kalpana Ramesh - Revision history

Asiaarts at 11:19, 19 April 2026