Varanasi was running out of water.

When IAS officer Himanshu Nagpal joined as Chief Development Officer, the city was in the grip of a severe water crisis. Nearly 700 borewells were being dug every year as hotels, homes, and private companies continued to draw heavily from groundwater. At the same time, many refused to install rooftop rainwater harvesting systems as required, often citing a lack of space.

The result was visible across the........

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