The Lokhandwala Lake Restoration Project

The Problem:

A freshwater lake, unique in its nestled position between mangrove patches, is in serious peril from urban pollution and government apathy.

What was once a community space and walker's paradise has been crippled by garbage inflow (a garbage unit was designated next to it recently), and the singularly Indian 'let's dump religious objects all over nature' mentality. Add to this powerful utility companies next door claiming the lake is a 'security risk', and you've got a good boil going. 

The Solution:

Using OikosES as a bridge and battery, we can help mobilize, redesign and redevelop aspects of  the lake and surrounding area through community participation, design sessions and sustainable ecological interventions.

Profit or loss? Urban redesign series - Water systems

Redesigning Mumbai's Stormwater and Drainage, toward a better management system for urban areas.

Why should we restore our water system?

It's plain to see, and reported often enough that our cities are falling apart. Unsustainable, and sometimes horrific development patterns and bad architectural designs are creating a monster mess creating cities with infrastructure falling apart as quickly as they grow.

Our ecosystems continue to deteriorate at a rapid pace, and cannot support life, creating a toxic backlash to the human community.

What are the problems that we have seen?

Loss of historic wetlands
Disruption of water flows
Deterioration in water quality and toxic chemical buildup and accumulation in sealife
Vast quantities of freshwater wasted and fouled
Mangrove and beach ecosystems affected by continuous and ever growing garbage buildup
Health risks for surrounding communities, in this case the entire city

 A possible vision

Turning our nallas back into walkable or navigable streams, rivers and canals for human use, through an ecological design approach.

We propose to change our wasted and polluted spaces into productive, ecologically and economically viable areas through the framework of landscape restoration, ecodesign techniques, and sustainable development principles.

Through this work, we can bring together communities and stakeholders into an open forum, making them aware again of their impacts on the environment.
Hopefully this will lead to a nurturing and revival of citizen's relationship with their land and people.
 
What kinds of lands are we talking about?

The issues we see are systemic, and creating solutions cannot be done on a  piecemeal basis. One cannot fix one section of drain and hope the problem will be solved, just as covering street drains does not solve the problem of foul and smelly gutters. Out of sight, out of mind, but still part of reality, unfortunately.

  Thus we propose to reconnect the land to the water, and work across the matrix, on:

Stormwater drains
Public parks
Mangrove lands
Reserve mangrove forest/Beaches



Operational benefits from a redesign

Reduction in urban flooding
More walkable / navigable green spaces
Healthier downstream ecosystems/ food web security
Reduction in health risks for immediate and surrounding community

Saving water?

The best way to 'save' water may not be not to follow this rationing and limiting system we are told about.

A different rationale would be that perhaps we could be not so conservative in our water use now, in order to regrow the proper catchment and treatment systems as quickly as possible and to stimulate the inherent and latent water holding capacities of the land.

Forest restoration, acceleration.

Of course then one needs a lot more water pumps in operation. Now if only solar pumps were cheaper...

Saving The Hot Springs

 

PROBLEM:

The Tansa River basin is a region just north of the metropolis of Mumbai, significant geologically and ecologically. The area is well known for religious and recreational reasons. The zoning of a large area here under a Recreation and Tourism Development tag has created several problems that are damaging the areas sensitive ecology, hot springs and local communities.

SOLUTION:

An assessment of local socio-economic and ecological conditions was available and with our own survey team, we were able to come up with additional recommendations for an on-the-ground approach to solutions for the multi-faceted problems in the region.

Working on available geospatial maps and analysis, and using a landscape ecology approach, we suggested steps for continued use of riparian habitats for hospitality and utilitarian purposes, while creating the conditions for the ecology to repair itself.

We await the beginning of the pilot projects suggested, so we can prove the strength of an ecodesign approach to regional development.

Client: Kamala Raheja Vidyanidhi Institute of Architecture (KRVIA)/Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Agency(MMRDA)
Location: Vashi, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Date: 2011
Link: www.krvia.ac.in,
www.mmrda.maharashtra.gov.in



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