What if the channels linking Madurai’s historic water tanks became an apparatus for a new form of green, networked urbanism?
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MADURAI ‘RIVER’SED Madurai’s channels become a template for its future urbanization. The project’s vision is to revive and preserve the historical water system sustained by its interlinkage of channels and tanks, through defining boundaries based not on districts but on the natural chain system of water corridors, formed by the channel and tank connections.
Adrinee Bodakian, Karan Daisaria, Anubha Joshi, Mahima Pandya Madurai ‘River’sed
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Madurai has historically had an intricate and interconnected chain of water system which is severed from, and disrupted by uncontrolled urbanization. The increasing population and constantly growing urbanization present a bigger threat to the city’s already dysfunctional and dying water system, as well as to the public who have a growing demand for water in an already decit state of water in lieu of water shortage projections based on climate change. The project’s vision is to revive and preserve the historical water system sustained by its interlinkage of channels and tanks, through generating an ecologically-driven zoning strategy based not on districts but on the natural chain system of water corridors, formed by the channel and tank connections. The proposal takes advantage of both top-down approaches carried out by state or local governments, and bottom up approaches which are empowered by the residents of distressed settlements in partnership with non-prot organizations. These strategies are manifested in the form of spatial design and written policies. The proposal identies three avenues to intervene through, which are ecology, waste, and community engagement. The ecology of the region has suffered as a result of the uncontrolled urbanization, decreasing forest areas, green cover, habitat for wildlife, and the retention of surface water along the channels from seven moths of the year to three. With uncontrolled urbanization have come many illegal actions by industries such as sand mining from the Vaigai River which has lowered the river-bed, causing the channels to dry up, which in turn have caused the tanks to dry up. These channels have become clogged by the sewage and plastic waste dumped into them. In cases of heavy rain, these channels overow because of the blockage and ood the nearby neighborhoods. Often, the communities that are aected the worst as a result of these conditions, are those who are the poorest. The lack of proper attention, care, maintenace, and focus on the city’s water system consisting of tanks and channels has turned the city’s lifeline and major tourist and urban potential to a threatening problem’s for the city’s future growth and safety. In order to revive the water system, a change in the perception of the city must occur. Madurai’s special significance and public health life line is its water system. Hence, the project proposes Special Zoning Districts (SZDs) along the deteriorating water
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channels. The city is looked at through the lense of its water newtork and zones are allocated based on which channel they are connected to. The SZDs lay out policies for implementation aimed at the revitilization of the water system. The policies are to be carried out in a four phase action plan:
1. UNCLOG- which aims at the removal and treatment of solid waste and sewage from the channels 2. CAPTURE- which utilizes techniques for rain-catching and retention 3. ACTIVATE- which aims at using the captured water to activate the channel edges by engaging the community 4. PRESERVE- which aims at preserving and evolving the city’s water system for generations to come
As a pilot project, the proposal looks at 2 of the SZDs, located at critical intersections and overlaps within the city’s fabric and region’s ecology. One of the selected channels drains from the Periyar Canal to the Vaigai River through the Vandiyur tank and the second channel drains from the Vaigai River into the Avaniyapuram mother tank. This corridor has different edge conditions such as peri-urban agriculture on the north, several middle income housing developments, informal settlements, tanks that are drying up, and a combination of a dumping ground and a sewage treatment plant in the south. The project further scales down in order to zoom into a site that looks at a specific location in which the policies get carried out through spatial architectural design interventions.
WASTE ECOLOGY
Periyar Canal
BRIDGE FILTERS
SITE1:Kulamangalam site
RAIN CATCHING
Vandiyur Surplus Channel
ALTERNATE SEWAGE CHANNEL
Vaigai River
PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE
SITE 2:Vandyur lake
Avaniyapuram Channel
CHANNEL RESERVED ZONE
SITE 3:Avanyapuram Tank
Pilot Areas: Special Zoning District
Madurai ‘River’sed
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INDENTIFY FRAMEWORK & SPECIAL ZONING DISTRICT As urbanization spread across the landscape, the condition of the tanks further deteriorated to the point where by 2015, there were very few tanks that remained active as non-encroached basins for retaining water. In order to change the perception of the city from a landscape of landuses to a landscape dependent on its interconnection to the water system, a new layer of zoning is proposed that shifts the focus to the sustanance and health of the water system and its potential impacts on its adjacent landscapes.
REGIONAL ISSUE Dindigul
Pudukkottai
Theni
Sivaganga
THENI
MADURAI
Virudhunagar
QUALITY WATER QUALITY OFOF WATER
Kerela
MANA MADURAI
WASTEGENERATION GENERATION WASTE
Ramanathapuram
RAMANATHAPURAM
WATERSCARCITY SCARCITY WATER LOSSOF OF GREEN LOSS GREEN COVER COVER
Regional Analysis
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750-800mm rainfall
N
Lost tree cover
500mi2
Salem TWO CHANNELS CHOSEN
PROJECT APPROACH
PERIYAR CANAL
WASTE
Erode
ATAKA
Namakka’l WATER
Per
ECOLOGY
Tiruppur
Coimbatore
KARNATAKAKarur COMMUNITY
ENGAGEMENT
Tiruchirapp
VAIGAI RIVER
N
Dharmapuri Zone of Intervention
Madurai ‘River’sed
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POLICY + ACTION PLAN The Special Zoning Districts around the channels set up policies to be implemented across the zones. The implementation of these policies happen in a four stage action plan- UCAP. 1) Unclog, 2) Capture, 3) Activate, and 4) Preserve. There are 8 policies that are established, two policies in each phase.
Social capital/ Health Benefits
1) BRIDGE FILTER- A filter system is attached to existing bridges over the channels to trap plastic waste which can be easily removed and taken to the Plastic-Co for Social Capital Credits.
Perception Change
2) ALTERNATE SEWAGE CHANNEL- A separate sewage line, utilizing the French Drain System, which runs parallel along the channel is proposed to protect the channels’ health.
Bridge Filters
Unclog BOTTOMUP
TOPDOWN
Plastic-Co
Capture Activate
Parallel Sewage Channels
Sedimentation
Sewage Treatment
Meandering
Preserve
Softening of Edges
Revival of Tanks 3) SEDIMENTATION AT RIVER & CHANNEL JUNTIONS Check dams for building sedimentation along the Vaigai are proposed for raising the riverbed and allowing flow into dried channels 4) RAIN CATCHING Through softening the edges of the channels, creating meanders along them, and providing for basins in low-lying areas, the presence of water is maintained for a longer duration 5) PUBLIC TOILET Within public areas, public toilets are proposed to bring safe bathrooms for women in the city, as well as men
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6) WATER BASED PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE Public spaces house public inftrastructure which utilizes the water from the channel for creating cummuity gathering spaces. 7) AGRI-ZONE A percentage of land along the channels is preserved for agriculture use only, which can happen in the form of traditional farming, or more progressive and advanced ways of growing food 8) FAR & GROUNDCOVER POLICIES Green public space is proposed all along the channel, requiring setbacks from the channel, but in turn providing greater FAR and groundcoverage for developers in return for maintaining the public space along the channel in front of their property.
Redirecting to smaller
1. UNCLOG Bridge Filter
New Pumps in Community Spaces
Parallel Sewage Channel
2. CAPTURE Sedimentation
Meandering of Channels
Public Toilets Employment
Public Edges 3. ACTIVATE Public Toilets
Public Edges
Reserving Agricultural Land 4. PRESERVE
Ground cover Policy
Ground cover & FAR policy
Reserved Green Zone
FAR
Madurai ‘River’sed
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IMPLEMENTATION ON SITE Three sites are selected along the two pilot channels to test the methodology. From those three sites, one site is selected to further develop and detail out. This site is along the channel leading from the Periyar Canal from the North to the Vaigai River, which passes through the Vandiyur Tank. The site is located at the junction of channel and Vandiyur Tank, spreading southward and extending until the Vaigai River. The channel is divided to pass through our site in two directions. The new diverted channel is designed to pass through a newly proposed Bio-Diversity Park, a new middle income housing development, and the SMP colony. Within the site are 8 hospitals, many other institutions, businesses, a combination of middle income group housing, and two communities in formation, one of them being the SMP Colony. An area adjacent to a milk industry is a government owned property which is low-lying and prone to flooding, which is currently used to let the runoff of the inustry into. This area is proposed to become a bio-diversity park, which is maintained and cared for by the members of the communities in formation. In exchange for their service, they receive social capital credits in the form of subsidized hospital check-ups and medications since these communities suffer from Malaria.
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Vandiyur Tank
1 Neighborhood Inserts
1
2 Biodiversity Park
2
3 Real Estate development zone
3
4 Community Riverfront 4
Vaigai River
Site 2 : Vandiyur Tank + SMP colony
Madurai ‘River’sed
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RECLAIMING THE CHANNELS The 4-phase action plan consists of: 1) UNCLOG 2) CAPTURE 3) ACTIVATE 4) PRESERVE The Unclog phase begins with installing bridge filters along the channels, where there are existing bridges. The bridge filters capture the plastic and solid waste in the channels, which then is turned in to the Plastic-Co which is a recycling organization, in return for social capital credits which can be used for subsidized hospital visits and health check-ups. A separate sewage channel is proposed parallel ot the channel, to further improve the health of the channel.
Plastic - co
The Capture phase introduces a meandering channel that has soft edges which leads into a retention pond, surrounded by walking and biking paths, situated within an ecological park which restores bird migration paterns which have been lost, and bird sanctuaries, as well as the habitat for several wildlife species.
Unclog
Walkway
Meandering Channel
Capture
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Waste transfer van Water Channel Bridge Filter
Retention Pond
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BIO-DIVERSITY PARK An area adjacent to a milk industrial facility is a government owned property which is low-lying and prone to flooding, which is currently used to hold the runoff of the milk industry. This area is proposed to become a bio-diversity park, to be maintained and cared for by the members of the communities-in-formation nearby. In exchange for their service, they will receive SOCCS that can be redeemed to get health insurance, subsidized hospital check-ups and medications since these communities suffer from Malaria and other curable diseases. This area is used proposed to be used to direct the diverted channel into, where the channel meanders and retention ponds will be created, to hold water for a longer period throughout the year. Plants along the soft edges and natural channel beds will have a cleansing effect on the water. This in turn, is expected to create a habitat for a diverse wildlife, and restoring the migratory bird patterns and ecological herritage which have been recently lost in Madurai. The park is designed for a wet, dry, and flood seasons, utilizing the channel for different uses through different climates.
Wet Season
Dry Season
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Madurai ‘River’sed
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ACTIVATE: SOCIAL SPACE The ACTIVATE phase utilizes the water from the channel, which is pumped to the community using the energy produced from the plaground situated in the community. This water is filtered and used for community uses such as washing clothes.
Hand Wash Area Public Toilet
The PRESERVE phase gives FAR and groundcover bonuses to the buildings along the channel in return for the maintenance of a green corrridor along the channel, which becomes a linear public space creating and preserves lost bird habitat and tree cover within the city.
ACTIVATE
Green Buffer zone
PRESERVE 92
Madurai Water Urbanism
Energy Generation Recreation
Water Outlet
Water Pump
FAR & Ground Cover Policy
Water Channel
Madurai ‘River’sed
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1
2
ACTIVATE: ACTION PHASE One site is selected, in order to detail out how the action plan can be carried out in its different phases. This site consists of the existing channel running adjacent to a community in formation. Within the site, the ACTIVATE phase takes dominance in terms of spacial desing, utilizing the water from the channelof by bringing in elements of design consisting of energy creation, public space, public toilets, rain catching techniques, and community spaces. The water from the channel is pumped into the community via energy created from the swings in the children’s playground. As the children utilize the elements in the playground, energy is created and stored, which is later used to pump water for various uses, such as washing clothes. The water is also pumped to the public toilets for flushing. The water is filtered to different grades for different uses.
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Water spout in Hollow brick wall
Water collector shed
3
4
Community water spout
5
Energy generation through recreation
6
Public Restroom
External facade water collection
6
4
1
2
3 5
Neighborhood water-based interventions Madurai ‘River’sed
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