City Challenge: Panaji

Swayandipta Pal Chaudhuri, Managing Director & CEO Imagine Panaji Smart City City Panaji Contact person Development Limited and Mission Director, AMRUT [email protected] Tel: +91-8237091599 S.H. Nagarajaiah, General Concerned Manager (Engineering), Imagine Panaji Smart City Department / Contact person Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited Authority Development Limited [email protected] Theme Urban Water Body Management Panaji is the capital city of the State of Goa. St.Inez Creek is a 6 km long water body that originates from the marshland in Taleigao, an outgrowth area of Panaji, fed by rain water runoff from Altinho and Nagahalli hills and inflowing streams and flows through the city and opens into the River Mandovi at close proximity to the point of its confluence into the Arabian Sea. It was a functional tidal water body. (The Survey of India, 1964). However, the tidal ingress of saline water into the creek is hindered due to anthropogenic activities, collapsed creek bank walls, ill designed bridges and culverts, excessive sedimentation and silting, encroachments and a natural sand bar formation. Further due to lack of enforcement, dumping of waste including construction debris, organic waste, inorganic and plastic waste, tyres into the creek is prevalent (Photo 1, Photo 2, Photo 3). There is eutrophication and growth of weeds along the creek, further obstructing flow of water. Lack of proper sewerage management system has Background resulted in raw sewerage discharging into the creek. There are informal and slum like settlements of low income groups along parts of the creek, which discharge their sewerage and other wastes directly into the creek. There is a potential risk of Water borne diseases and water related vector borne diseases including malaria and dengue in the area. Parts of the catchment also experience overflow and breaching of the banks during monsoon due to blockage of the flow of water. The issues related to the creek and its water quality also owes its complexity to the nature of urbanization of the precincts of the creek, varying from newly developing outgrowth areas with underdeveloped infrastructure to historically developed areas of Panaji with aged infrastructure and involving multiple jurisdictions and stakeholder agencies. In short, the creek that once has social, cultural and heritage significance and was rich in bio-diversity is highly polluted and has fallen into a state of decline due to neglect over past few decades. The prime objective is to improve the liveability of the city of Panaji and enhance the quality of life of its citizens. The rejuvenation of the St.Inez Creek will improve the accessibility to a healthy natural environment and will positively impact Description of the health and well-being of the citizens. The improvement in the water quality will specific challenge substantially improve the quality of the urban spaces and the quality of life of the citizens living in the vicinity of the creek, while enhancing the overall resilience of the city. There is also potential to develop incidental public open spaces that can add to the increasing green and pedestrian infrastructure for the city. The challenge is to develop St.Inez creek and waterfront as a replicable nature based, innovative and exciting model and case example for urban water body management as a catalyst for growth and sustainable development. The solutions are expected to address three key areas:

• Scientific and technology leveraged interventions to remove hydraulic barriers and other interventions to ensure the flow of the creek is maintained. • Ecologically friendly and sustainable solutions and natural remediation processes for stopping sewerage and solid waste entering the creek and nature based solutions for improving the quality of water thereby rehabilitating the creek and restoring the riparian habitat. • Innovative and integrated design solutions for creek front development which are natural as opposed to concretisation to develop the creek as a pristine water body and the surroundings as a Green Corridor, with Urban Design and Landscaping interventions and development of pedestrian and open spaces. The area of intervention for the project is the St.Inez Creek and its water front. St.Inez Creek is a 6 km long water body that originates from the marshland in what was formerly a paddy field, in Taleigao, an outgrowth area of Panaji (Photo 4, Photo 5). The creek is fed by rain water runoff from Altinho and Nagahalli hills and inflowing streams and flows through the city in a sinusoidal curve and opens into the River Description of the Mandovi (Photo 6) at close proximity to the point of its confluence into the Arabian effected area Sea. The adjoining urban fabric of the creek includes areas of residential and mixed developments with recent high-rise construction (Photo 7, Photo 8) as well as historic colonial architecture of the city. Neo-vernacular informal settlements are also along parts of the creek (Photo 9).

• Substantial reduction in the contamination of the creek, improvement in the water quality and restoration of the flow in the creek. • Enhanced aesthetic quality of the area. Desired Outputs • One-time solution to effectively reduce contamination of the creek, reduce pollution and restore the flow. • Periodic creek maintaince solutions. • Hydraulic flow and watershed modelling and simulations and real time monitoring with Technology based solutions to: • alert a central facility (Control Center) if there is a decline in the Desired outcome quality of water and the location/ source of such contamination and • gauge if there is adequate flow of water in the creek and alert the central facility if adequate flow is not happening. • Contextual, sustainable and cost effective solutions to prevent and filter out garbage entering the stream. Standard Operating Procedure and options for O&M for the same. • Development of public open spaces for recreation and leisure along the creek through sensitive Urban Design and Landscaping solutions to stabilise the banks, beautification of the waterfront and improvement of bio- diversity. • Strategic action plan with short term, medium term and long term interventions.

Some of the recent studies and interventions for the rejuvenation of the creek are as follows: • The Goa State Pollution Control Board initiated a study entitled Status Study of St. Inez Creek to check the Extent of Environmental Degradation as a Result of Anthropogenic Activities, Civic Infrastructure and Natural Causes Current status in November 2013 • A cleanliness drive was undertaken in 2016 where de-weeding of the creek was done. • In 2018, a presentation entitled ‘Enlivening St. Inez Creek’ and ‘Cleaning and Restoration of Villa Nova Creek at Colva (Goa) were prepared.

Estimated Execution of short term interventions in 6 Months timelines Medium and long term interventions to be planned for 3 to 5 years

Procurement Online tendering process. procedure Imagine Panaji Smart City Development Limited Corporation of City of Panaji Public Works Department Key local Water Resources Department stakeholders Goa State Pollution Control Board Greater Panaji Planning and Development Authority Taleigao Village Panchayat The solutions should take into consideration, the local context, environment, culture and heritage. The technology based solutions should be based on open data framework and with capability with the Command and Control Center of the Any other remarks Goa Intelligent City Management System for integration of all smart solutions to analyse and provide decision making support based on real time/historical information obtained from the field/ site.

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