This presentation premiered at WaterSmart Innovations
watersmartinnovations.com Translating Historical Water Wisdom to Contemporary Challenges
Leslie A. Johnson, 2018 MLA Capstone Chair: Professor John Koepke Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Minnesota Project Advisor: Alpa Nawre, University of Florida Agenda
1. Contemporary Issues in India & the Relationship to Traditional Water Management 2. Site Visit to Dhamori, India & Project Background 3. Water Wisdom: Capstone Research & Design 4. Lessons Learned & Broader Applications
Image Credit: Dhamori Village - Leslie A. Johnson Part I. Contemporary Issues in India & the Relationship to Traditional Water Management India today faces a wide variety of social, environmental, and cultural issues related to water issues. • Conflicts between domestic and productive water use • Farmer suicides in rural communities
Image Credit: Maharashtra Farmer during Drought - Jagadeesh NV, European Press Photo Agency / Relocated Workers - “Drought in Maharashtra,” Mumbai Mirror / Farmer Suicides - India You, 2011 Part I. Contemporary Issues in India & the Relationship to Traditional Water Management • Threats to food security • Seasonal migration to cities • During the monsoon, there can be too much water, but during the dry season, there can be too little
Challenges stem from water mismanagement as much, or more so, as from water scarcity. Yet India has a rich history of water conservation strategies, so how is it that these current issues came to be?
Image Credit: In wait for water - Mumbai Mirror / Stepwell – Atlas Obscura Part I. Contemporary Issues in India & the Relationship to Traditional Water Management What is ”traditional water management?” Broadly, water systems present prior to industrialization, specifically those systems derived from the vernacular of their landscapes and needs of a particular group of people. General timeline of traditional water management systems and their decline
Image Credit: Stepwell – Atlas Obscura / An East India Company Grandee - Getty Images / Dry well – Mumbai Mirror / Ralegan Siddhi - Hari Mahidhar, Dinodia Photo Part II. Site Visit to Dhamori, India & Project Background
Image Credit: Map - Leslie A. Johnson / Participants - Alpa Nawre Part II. Site Visit to Dhamori, India & Project Background
Image Credit: Dhamori farmer and fields - Leslie A. Johnson / Dhamori Aerial - Google Earth Part II. Site Visit to Dhamori, India & Project Background Meetings with Local Government Officials
Image Credit: Block Development and Forest Department – Alpa Nawre Part II. Site Visit to Dhamori, India & Project Background Public Participation
Image Credit: Drawing Workshop and Community Feedback – Leslie A. Johnson Part II. Site Visit to Dhamori, India & Project Background Current Issues in Dhamori Through Community Input:
• Drinking water is not a problem, but more water is needed for irrigation • Salt in groundwater • Flooding during the monsoon season • Lack of revenue sources • Lack of public space, especially for women and children • Settlement water channels are often stagnant and filled with trash • Lack of waste management (such as trash and excreta)
Image Credit: Ambada Stream and Rainfall Graphics – Leslie A. Johnson Part II. Site Visit to Dhamori, India & Project Background Dhamori Village Development Plan
Image Credit: Master Plan, Dhamori Village Development Plan - Alpa Nawre Part II. Site Visit to Dhamori, India & Project Background Public Space around Water
Image Credit: Pond Edge– Leslie A. Johnson / Dhamori Playground Images – Alpa Nawre, Tsz Wai Wong, Saurabh Lohiya Part III. Water Wisdom: Capstone Research & Design A Three Scaled Approach to Water Management
Objectives for Dhamori Village: Capture water for irrigation and to mitigate flooding. Cleanse water for social and environmental benefit. Create added value through improved water infrastructure.
Image Credit: Scale Graphic – Leslie A. Johnson / Google Earth Part III. Agricultural Framework Using Traditional Methods
Image Credit: Diagrams – Leslie A. Johnson / Bunds and Trenches - Ek Titli.Org/ Water Tanks – UNDP Climate Change Adaptation / Farm Pond – Leslie A. Johnson Part III. Agricultural Framework
Image Credit: Agricultural Framework– Leslie A. Johnson Part III. Agricultural Framework
Image Credit: Agricultural Framework– Leslie A. Johnson Part III. Settlement
Image Credit: Settlement Strategies – Leslie A. Johnson Part III. Settlement
Image Credit: Settlement Strategies – Leslie A. Johnson Part III. Settlement
Image Credit: Settlement Strategies – Leslie A. Johnson Part III. Settlement
Image Credit: Settlement Strategies – Leslie A. Johnson Part III. Settlement
Image Credit: Settlement Strategies – Leslie A. Johnson Part III. Pond
Image Credit: Pond Analysis Diagram – Leslie A. Johnson Part III. Pond Traditional Pond Elements: Fusion of Utility and Public Space
Image Credit: Religious Marker – Anupam Mishra, “The Ponds are Still Relevant” / Pond Sketch and Banyan Photo – Leslie A. Johnson Part III. Pond
Image Credit: Pond Strategies Diagram– Leslie A. Johnson Part III. Pond
Image Credit: Pond Strategies Diagram– Leslie A. Johnson Part IV: Lessons Learned & Broader Applications
Image Credit: Merging Traditional and Modern Practices Diagram– Leslie A. Johnson Part IV: Lessons Learned & Broader Applications
Image Credit: Global Goals – United Nations / Dhamori village – Leslie A. Johnson Part IV: Lessons Learned & Broader Applications: Woven Plains
The 400-year-old Pueblo Practice of Acequias: “A network of gravity-fed irrigation canals”
Woven Plains, New Mexico
Image Credit: Ethic and Aesthetic, April 2018 Landscape Architecture Magazine Resources to Learn More: “Dying Wisdom: The decline and revival of traditional water harvesting systems in India," by Agarwal, Anil, and Sunita Narain, 1997 “The Ponds are Still Relevant,” by Mishra, Anupam, 1993. “Ethic and Aesthetic,” Landscape Architecture Magazine, by Timothy A. Schuler, April 2018 Critical Places: https://criticalplaces.org/ Sansad Adarsh Gram Yojana (SAGY): http://www.saanjhi.gov.in/ Additional Comments / Questions? Leslie A. Johnson [email protected] John Koepke [email protected] Alpa Nawre [email protected]