How did modern plumbing and village water taps reduce the use of stepwells?

The introduction of modern infrastructure, including village water taps, plumbing, and water tanks, rendered stepwells obsolete by eliminating the physical necessity for these traditional subterranean water sources.

As these modern substitutes became available, local communities ceased the maintenance of stepwells, leading to their neglect and eventual decay. Furthermore, during the period of British rule in India, many stepwells were actively destroyed or barricaded after being deemed unhygienic breeding grounds for disease. This combination of technological modernization and the prioritization of new sanitation standards caused these once-vital public monuments to fall into disuse, often resulting in them being repurposed as garbage dumps or left to crumble into ruin.1