Landscape/Urbanscape design​

Collaborators: Dishant Manik and Revati Shah

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The landscape design studio proposes to study an ecotone within the city. An ecotone is a space of transition between a nature ecosystem and an urban 'ecosystem'.

We visit BKC and try to spot various edges that the city shares with Mithi River, which is now basically a 'nalla' for the city.

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The Bharat Nagar Slum, which has the longest length of the river edge amongst the three sites we studied, was an area of interest. Two settlements have grown over time on either the 'banks or the river', as it were, and now abuse the river to a great extent. It has grown on the banks of Mithi river for over 30 years. The Mithi river has been subject to blatant degradation to the point where locals now refer to it as a nullah. Over the years, debris has been dumped into it. Bunds have been built to change the course of the river. In fact the course of the Mithi River has been forced to turn 90 degrees, four times in the recent past. There are innumerable encroachments along the banks of the Mithi River, and to top it all, its mouth has been reduced by a shocking 60%, blocking its flow and reducing its drainage capacity.

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In Bharat Nagar, the river divides the two sides of the slum, although the conditions on both sides are similar. Concretisation of the river banks and construction of walls along the stretch of the river has lead to environmental and psychological impacts. The relationship of the public with the river has been comprised to make way for urban development without paying much heed to the river and its ecosystem. This has lead to the river being treated as a natural gutter and has left it facing negligence. Moreover, regular dumping of waste, generated within the slum and from outside, has caused disruption in the flow of water in the river. Problems have been caused due to lack of consciousness, lack of infrastructure for waste management and sanitation facilities and insensitive planning.

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On the site, we saw a lot of debris, organic waste, waste from workshops and small-scale industries nearby being dumped into the river. At the end below a bridge is the 'open community toilet'. The fact that there are many toilets dotting the edge, where the settlement meets the river was even more disconcerting. The edges all over BKC have been concretised, leading to further deterioration of the river. Mangroves have been chopped off and as we are talking, the concrete wall at Bharat Nagar Slum is being poured. This has a direct impact on the watershed of Mumbai, which largely depends on the river for channelising rainwater. Floods in  the city have been devastating every year, with no apparent solution. Maybe the government should come and see the kind of manufactured landscape it is making in the city.

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Poor sanitation and drainage facilities has forced residents to defecate in the open or build makeshift toilets on the river edge. Some toilets(about four) have been built by the MMRDA, with appalling drainage systems that dispose the waste directly into the river water. The proximity to the dumped waste also causes health issues, especially for children who, due to a lack of spaces to play in and recreate, end up staying close to the mounds of dirt. The idea is to propose alternatives and interventions in
this area to aid a healthier system for Mithi river and a healthier lifestyle for those living in the community.

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How can the river edge become cleaner, healthier and sustainable ecotone between nature and humans?