Reimagining Water Infrastructure in Its Cultural Specificity
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Reimagining Water Infrastructure in its Cultural Specificity Case of Pune, INDIA. Manas Rajendra Marathe Supervisors Prof. Dr-Ing. Annette Rudolph-Cleff Prof. Dr Gerrit Jasper Schenk Fachgebiet Entwerfen und Stadtwicklung Fachbereich Architektur 2019 REIMAGINING WATER INFRASTRUCTURE IN ITS CULTURAL SPECIFICITY Case of Pune, INDIA. Genehmigte Dissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades Doktor der Ingenieurwissenschaften (Dr-Ing.) von M.Sc. Manas Rajendra Marathe aus Pune, Indien. Graduiertenkolleg KRITIS 1. Gutachter: Prof. Dr-Ing. Annette Rudolph-Cleff 2. Gutachter: Prof. Dr Gerrit Jasper Schenk Tag der Einreichung: 11-09-2019 Tag der Prüfung: 21.10.2019 Fachgebiet Entwerfen und Stadtwicklung Fachbereich Architektur (FB 15) Technische Universität Darmstadt L3 01 El- Lissitzky Straße 1 64287 Darmstadt URN: urn:nbn:de:tuda-tuprints-92810 URI: https://tuprints.ulb.tu-darmstadt.de/id/eprint/9281 Published under CC BY 4.0 International https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ Darmstadt, October 2019. Cover page: Photo of Barav at Loni Bhapkar, Pune. Erklärung zur Dissertation Hiermit versichere ich, die vorliegende Dissertation ohne Hilfe Dritter nur mit den angegebenen Quellen und Hilfsmitteln angefertigt zu haben. Alle Stellen, die aus Quellen entnommen wurden, sind als solche kenntlich gemacht. Diese Arbeit hat in gleicher oder ähnlicher Form noch keiner Prüfungsbehörde vorgelegen. Darmstadt, den 11-09-2019. ________________________ (Manas Rajendra Marathe) Acknowledgements The culmination of this dissertation would not have been possible without the help and support of many people and institutions. Firstly, I express my sincere gratitude towards my Supervisor Prof. Dr-Ing. Annette Rudolph Cleff and my Co-Supervisor Prof. Dr Gerrit Jasper Schenk for their constant encouragement, guidance and wholehearted support. It was because of their enriching comments and valuable feedback that I could complete this research within the stipulated timeframe. Along with them, I would also like to extend my thanks to their staff members for helping me with all the official work at the University. I am grateful to the Research Training Group KRITIS and its Spokesmen Prof. Dr Jens Ivo Engels and Prof. Dr-Ing. Jochen Monstadt for selecting me as a Doctoral Candidate in the research group and funding this research. It is because of them that I got the opportunity to enrich myself in the academic environment of Technical University, Darmstadt, Germany. My sincere thanks to the experts from India Dr Avinash Sowani, Vinit Phadnis and Himanshu Kulkarni, who helped me to gain a deeper understanding in the field of my research. My special thanks to Pallavee Gokhale, who provided me with several references for carrying out my research. I would also like to extend my thanks to Ar. Pratyush Shankar and Ar. Minal Sagare for reading my drafts and giving their valuable inputs. Many institutions and libraries readily provided me with the necessary data for carrying out this research. I would especially like to thank the helpful staff of the Asian and African Reading Room at the British Library, London for providing me with the access to various archival documents, maps and books for carrying out my research. I would also like to thank the Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal, Pune and Deccan College, Pune for permitting me to access the archival data from their libraries. Special thanks to Mr Gaikwad from Paravati Water Works, Pune and Mr P.D. Shinde from Sinchan Bhavan, Pune for sharing valuable information on the water supply system of Pune. I thank the KRITIS office staff Dr Tina Enders and Mälika Fetzer who helped me in all the necessary document work for travelling and attending conferences. At the same time, my sincere thanks to all my colleagues from KRITIS for their support. Much gratitude and love to my philosopher friend Marcel Müller who helped me to complete all the formalities in Germany, translating German official documents and always ensuring that I do not face any difficulty in Germany. I also thank my friend Dr Anshika Suri for reviewing my drafts and giving valuable feedback. Thanks to my Indian friends Venkat, Aditi and Shriraj for the informal chats and fun moments we shared. A special mention to the love and respect of my student, Mandar Athavale, who willingly agreed to help me with the transcription of the interviews. v It is difficult to express in words the love and support that I attained from my family. Both my parents Shri Rajendra Marathe and Mrs Manjiri Marathe have been a strong support system for me. My wife Dr Shamal Marathe, who sacrificed three years of her carrier to stay with me in Germany and take care of our son deserves equal credit. I gained a lot of positive energy from the innocence of my son Keyur, which made the entire journey joyful. I would also like to thank my cousin Aditya Preman, who accompanied me to the field for carrying out research. My uncle Shri Abhay Ponkshe has always supported me throughout this journey. His regular phone calls from India have always kept me joyful and happy. At the same time, I thank all my relatives and friends for their good wishes. The regular practice of Yoga, Meditation, and Sudarshan Kriya received as a blessing from my Guru Shri Shri Ravishankar has helped me to remain healthy both physically and mentally during the entire duration of my research. I consider myself lucky and grateful to have such a Guru in my life. Lastly, I thank God for showering his blessings upon me and having chosen me for doing this research work. Manas Marathe October 2019. vi Abstract Depleting water sources, rapid urbanisation and extreme human intervention in the ecological cycles leading to climate change exert intense pressure on the water infrastructure of several regions across the world. At the same time, design of current water infrastructure itself based on the post-industrial principle of controlling nature using modern technology has given rise to additional problems such as land subsidence, transformation of rivers, depletion of groundwater, human displacement and loss of biodiversity. In industrialising countries such as India, increasing population puts additional pressure on the finite internal water sources. The per capita water availability in India is expected to fall from current 1608 m3 to 1340 m3 by 2025, causing water stress conditions. There is limited scope for exploring additional water sources. Already with more than 5000 large dams and 11.7 million tubewells, India has the highest annual freshwater usage in the world. Against the background of these multiple and interconnected water problems worldwide and in India, the research on water infrastructure design and management suggests the need to bring about a fundamental change in the way we perceive water, and manage and design our water infrastructure. It recommends the need to shift away from the modern approach that views water as a commodity and develops water infrastructure that concentrates on maximum exploitation of natural water sources through command and control over nature. Instead, it proposes a sustainable approach that causes minimum disturbance to the natural hydrological cycle, attempts to manage freshwater demand in the society and concentrates on rainwater harvesting and wastewater recycling. Particularly in the case of India, research recommends the need to revive its traditional knowledge of water management and conserve the structures that diverted, stored and utilised surface-runoff, rainwater and groundwater in a sustainable manner. The current research on traditional water structures in India extensively focusses on their technical and managerial aspects. In comparison, less research focusses on their spatial aspect and form that integrate them with the settlement fabric. Furthermore, many research approaches take a mere overview of diverse water structures across India. However, very few approaches discuss in depth the socio-cultural setup within which they flourished, the reasons for their decline, and their significance in the present context. To overcome these research gaps, this research undertakes a socio-cultural perspective on understanding the value of Traditional Water Infrastructure (TWI) in creating water consciousness and reimagining water infrastructure creatively. Taking the case of Pune, India, it first examines how cultural beliefs and ideas have shaped its TWI. Then, through the case examples of traditional water cisterns, stepped water tanks, underground aqueducts and artificial lakes in Pune, it sheds light on the spatial and architectural principles of TWI. It further examines the reason for their decline during the British Colonial and Post-Colonial Periods and highlights their role in solving current water-related problems. vii The research presents data obtained through the review of secondary literature and archival records carried during February and September 2017. Similarly, it presents data from field observations, photographic documentation and measured drawings done during February- March 2018 and November-December 2018. The findings reveal that the limited availability of water due to the intermittent nature of rivers and the monsoon pattern created a conscious water culture in the traditional communities that encouraged people to use water prudently. The values, beliefs and ideas emerging from such culture have shaped the TWI of Pune. The traditional water structures were location-s the patronage of rulers. They were not only mere utilitarian structures but also