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Halcrow offers competitive salaries and a comprehensive range of employee benefits. We’re committed to personal and professional development. For more information on a career with Halcrow, visit our website. Alternatively, email your CV to Jasbir Sood (Delhi), [email protected] or Sourav Sarkar (Mumbai), [email protected]. Sustaining and improving halcrow.comhalcrow.com the quality of people’s lives Cover page was taken from: www.realestatesizzle.com Drainage from T i m e s B. C. e read about civilizations, civilizations storey residential architecture, and the earliest Wthat existed once, but are lost - some evidences of provision of public amenities such as submerged under the great oceans on a sewerage and drainage system. Most houses earth and some entered the womb of earth. Out in Mohenjodaro had bathrooms, some inclusive of them there are some civilizations which of latrines, built on the street side of the building. flourished and then vanished, leaving epics of their The water-discharge sluices from the houses first glorious past but with no successor to inherit the collected dirt in small cesspits (the ancient version knowledge. of our present day septic tanks and grit chambers) lined with tightly sealed bricks at the base of the We credit civic hygiene and modern sanitation to walls from which dirty water was led to the main the communitarian sensibilities of the society drains running through the middle of the street conscious, urban city man. But such concepts as covered with flat stones and tile bricks. Apparently ‘civic sense’ and ‘urban development’ that are so these cesspits were cleaned out from time to time, intrinsic to our smug belief in the modernity of as were the settling basins or soakage pits present-day settlements are not as original as we located along the street drains. The covered would like to believe. Evidence from civilizations drains were connected to the larger sewerage that date back to nearly five thousand years ago provides proof for the earliest systems of public works and civic amenities. So how ‘modern’ were our ancients? In terms of town planning and engineering, the ancient cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro of the Indus Valley Civilization (dated around 2750 B.C.) can perhaps be considered as two of man’s great civilizational treasures. Excavations reveal well- walled orderly cities with spacious, often two- YELLOW | JUL-DEC 2008 Drainage Channel of 2 The civilisation Taken from: www.mohenjodaro.net outlets (also covered), which finally let the dirty Some houses in Harappa also had rubbish chutes water outside the inhabited area. Where baths built into the walls descending from the upper and latrines were located on the upper floor they floors at the foot of which were bins at the street were drained usually by vertical terra-cotta pipes level. with closely fitting spigot joints set in the building wall. These pipes can be seen as the earliest Archaeological excavations bring to surface the version of the modified vitrified clay spigot-and- sketch of some of the earliest planned cities put socket sewer pipes. Every lane and street had together with elegant innovation by some of the at least one drainage channel covered with brick world’s first civil engineers. And it is all thanks to or stone tiles that could be lifted. The drains were them I can flush without a worry! usually 18 inches to 24 inches below the street level, and varied in dimensions from 12 inches “Is it just a quirk of fate that the country which deep and 9 inches wide to about 24 inches deep formulated the urban plan is facing problems like and 18 inches wide. flood and famine due to inadequate planning? “ Priest King from Indus JUL-DEC 2008 | YELLOWValley Civilisation 3 TakenThePriest fromPriest geocities.comKing King From of Indus Valley The civilisationcivilisation TakenTaken from:from: www.mohenjodaro.netwww.mohenjodaro.net Identity, something which distinguishes ‘man’ from up my space and restricted me to a small nallah. I ‘person’, something a man toils all his life for, am constricted to a third of my original width. something which gives one a feeling of self- Besides this, the pollution has reached an accomplishment and something which minority alarming stage causing threat to marine life. always fears to be trodden by majority. So what if I struggle to survive and in due course men loose I am river always taught to flow. Life that bloomed their lives? inside my water was dying. River where oyster beds used to spawn echoed with mourn of fishes. By now you might be inquisitive to make out who Deep inside an urge to get my identity back I am and what I am talking about. No not a developed. City could be the worst but how could revolutionist or reformer trying to change this I be appalling. I decided to forewarn. June 1985 world. Not even an influential politician attempting and then again 13 July 2000, Mumbai recorded to grab few more votes. I am a river, river who exceptionally heavy rainfall: Vasai 49, Thane 45, witnessed birth of a city at its bank. Like a mother Santa Cruz 37 and Colaba 25 cm. Flood was I nurtured the city to prosper and thrive. In dry reported in Mithi River. Vihar and Tulsi lakes provided them water. Then the rain came, I overflowed, causing damage to 240 families diverted the inundation. Offered exquisite staying in encroachments along the Mithi. But city landscape to relax as the city grew arduous and was in deep slumber;I decided to wake them up. antsy. For this entire benevolence city gave me my name MITHI meaning sweet. 26 June 2005: heavy downpour in Mumbai. A “tropical depression” wedged itself over the But gradually city grew inconsiderate. For all my central-northern suburbs, and above the Mithi kinds they started dumping toxic chemicals in me. River. By the end of the first week, the official death They started using me to discharge raw sewage, toll was 500, though many put it close to 1,000. I industrial waste and garbage and encroached attracted city’s attention. Consequently, Mithi upon by illegal buildings and official reclamation. restoration plan came out for implementation Illegal activities of washing of oily drums, under MRDPA5 created specifically for its discharge of unauthorized hazardous waste are development. Remedial efforts and reforms of also carried out along my course. Construction of government have given me a optimism that life airport wall and the Mahim causeway have eaten will again bloom and I will get my identity back. 4 YELLOW | JUL-DEC 2008 Tracing Mithi Sattelite View of The River Which has remainedTracing noMithi more than a nallah Sattelite View of The RiverCourtesy: which Google.com has remained no more than a nallah Courtesy: Google Mithi Near The Airport The state has also proposed erecting a wall so the airport runway can remain clear during monsoon. The river runs right below the runway. Taken From The Hindu Old days will be back. Migratory birds will come to a once-in-50-yrs-rainfall (382.5 mm per hour) again. I will feel my life again and Mumbai will love or once-in-100-yrs-rainfall (418.3 mm per hour) me again. averaged throughout the stream length, will cause severe flooding in surrounding areas. The initial The Mithi is a confluence of tail water discharges reaches of the river (until it reaches the Santa from Powai and Vihar lakes. Originating at Powai, Cruz Airport) are narrow and steep, causing swift the Mithi flows through Saki Naka, Safed Pool, discharge of water. The downstream segments, around Santacruz airstrip, passing through thickly in contrast, have flat slopes. Though the river in populated and industrial areas like Jarimari, Bail these reaches opens up a little, the increase in Bazar, old airport road, Kalina (CST road), Vakola, width is not enough to prevent water from Bandra-Kurla complex and Dharavi, before meeting accumulating. A constricted passageway, absence the Arabian Sea at Mahim creek, completing a of holding ponds and increased runoff, all thanks journey 17.9 kilometers long that doesn’t quite to widespread ‘development’ and continuing qualify it as the world’s shortest river! concretization of open spaces, make matters worse. Maximum discharge possible without causing any spill over of 50 cumecs, a discharge corresponding Experts opine that the river bed upstream of the 6 YELLOW | JUL-DEC 2008 Board (MPCB) surveyed Kherani Road area in Saki Naka. Officers were greeted by large volumes of poisonous wastes and plastics choking open storm water drains and foul smelling waters flowing onto the street in several places. The survey found hundreds of illegal units involved in cleaning plastic, recycling lead from batteries and manufacturing dyes - all processes that give out harmful effluents.