India, Oct. 13 -- Four centuries after Malik Ambar - who rose from slavery to become an administrator and military leader of the Ahmednagar sultanate in the early 17th century - developed an innovative water supply system for Khadki and the settlement that later became Aurangabad and is now known as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, his engineering legacy continues to hold lessons for drought-hit Marathwada where villages continue to face drinking water shortages and depend on tankers during periods of scarcity.

Even as the region commemorates the 400th death anniversary of Malik Ambar in 2026, the water management system developed by him serves as a reminder that long-term water security depends not only on rainfall but also on how effectively...