It is confirmed that the work described in this thesis entitled "URBAN WETLANDS AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT; Ecotourism as a Strategy for Sustainable Coexistence and Management of Deepor Beel Ramsar Wetland in India.” Rana Mahanta's Doctor of Philosophy Award is an authentic record of the results obtained from the research work carried out under my supervision at the Center for Environment, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati , India, and this work is not submitted elsewhere for a degree. For an in-depth study and analysis of all attributes for the design and planning of the proposed built environment, we included diverse data sources and multiple respondents in the study design method.
Introduction
- Urban Wetlands
- Built Environment around Wetlands and Ecotourism as a Conservation Strategy
- Integrated Design with Interdisciplinary Approaches
- Regulations for Conservation and Management
- Status of Urban Wetlands in India
- The Study Area: Deepor Beel
- Research Scope and Significance
The built environment around the wetland in the urban area is subject to the land use pattern shown in the master plan of the city. Among the natural hydronomies of Assam, Beel or Hawar (a natural water body smaller than a lake) is also one of the main features.
Overview of Deepor Beel: Literature study and analysis
History & Cultural Background
Mapping and Evaluation of Existing Built Environment in the Fringe Area
- Infrastructure and Facilities
- Livelihood Activities
- Cultural Dynamics
The newly established Mother Teresa Hospital is also located in the north-western boundary of Deepor Beel. Many of them worship 'Manasa', the snake goddess, mainly for the prevention and cure of snake bites and infectious diseases like smallpox and chicken pox, as well as for prosperity and fertility.
The Wetland Ecosystem
- Bio-diversity
- Hydrology
- Landscape Configuration
Deepor Beela wetland ecosystem comprised 33.5% in 1990 and there was no aquatic vegetation at that time. Beela water is excessively loaded with inorganic and organic pollutants, in many cases above the permissible limit.
Conservation and Management
- Proposed DPR, Master plan and costing by GMDA
- Smart-cities Mission
- Role of Local NGOs
- Ecotourism as a conservation strategy
Deepor Beel was one of the venues for the 33rd North Dakota State Rowing Competition in 2007. 2015 The state government laid the foundation stone for the Assam Aquatic Center for research and capacity building for comprehensive management and conservation of the aquatic ecosystem in the Northeast.
Current Status and need for the study
The State Department of Tourism also encourages Responsible Tourism (RT) in the state with an aim to protect the environment. The Rani and Garbhanga hills on the north and south sides forming a backdrop to the rich natural landscape.
Research Statement, Aim and Objective
Validation of all proposed built environments by GMDA near the wetland to mitigate further degradation and accelerate protection and conservation. Limitations: Hydrology management, Biodiversity conservation and management plan for both wetlands and ecoparks were beyond the scope of this research.
Limitations
The dependence of fishing villages on fishing (80%) and tribal villages on fodder is higher (58%), while the only dependence of new settlers is on forage collection (35%). The traditional design of the weekly market (baranat) using thatched roofs on bamboo frames with mud floors illustrates the old tradition that prevailed throughout the north-eastern region (Appendix 11, 9-Landscape Elements).
Case-studies
Five case studies on urban wetlands were conducted and analyzed for context-specific problems, success stories and interdisciplinary approaches. Field-based observation and exploration was conducted with carefully selected case studies in different parts of the world (refer to 5.1).
Interviews
2 Mr. Sarat Das, Chairman of Keotpara village (Gaobura) and Mr. Golok Das, Adviser to the chairman of the Paspara committee. Local facts and myths about conservation and management and general awareness including validation/reasons for conflict in the community.
Focus Group Discussions (FGD)
Conservation of wetland and forest: perceptions, experience if any, awareness about wetland park or ecopark in conservation, suggestions, traditional practices. It also resulted in triple benefits, including policy transparency among the participants from different backgrounds and generated more lateral views for community participation and benefits.
Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and Survey
A student and a village youth managed these PRA groups and filled the schedules with guidance from the other group supervisors. The objectives, main objectives, respondents of the group and the working method are described in Appendix 5-B.
Design Research
Data were collected by conducting PRA exercises at the household level using social mapping, resource mapping, wealth ranking, seasonal analysis, trend analysis, chapati diagram, basic services availability diagram, matrix ranking, informal discussion along with identification of problems , recommendation for micro credits and Bio-rights, and general meeting, assessment of the facts, allocation of responsibility among villagers. Based on the characteristics of the population and the purpose of the study, purposive sampling was used to select three fishing villages and three tribal villages.
Concept Mapping
GIS Mapping (Arch GIS)
Design decisions for the proposed recreation zones were carefully adjusted using map-based analysis, the steps of Architectural Design Research (Linda N Groat, 2013) and EDRA's reports in Chapter 7. Maps from Guwahati Metropolitan Development Authority were used to analyze the land use and proposed recreational facilities (GMDA, 2012)(Source: Data Center of the National Remote Sensing Center (NRSC) Under ISRO, Department of Space and Govt. of India.).
Materials
Flowchart of methodology
They will also be provided with alternative fishing zones in the west of the wetland (Figure 7.12). The dependence of the community of the peripheral villages on the wetland was calculated (Figure 6.5) using the PRA method.
Case study evaluation
Conservation and Management Strategies: Success Stories and Lessons learnt
- The Llobregat River Delta, Barcelona, Spain (Conservation and Management)
- Ras-Al-Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, Dubai, UAE (Conservation and Management)
- East Kolkata Wetlands, India (Community Engagement)
- Mahim Nature Park, Mumbai, India (Landscape Regeneration)
- The Summer Palace and the Kunming Lake, Beijing, China (Tourism Perspective)
DPR analysis: Dal Lake, Srinagar, India (Conservation and Management)
Non-construction of gates for the bays has led to increase in the nutrients and weeds and depletion of the fish population in the lake. The DPR recommended that 38 blocked channels in the backwaters of the lake be dredged and deepened.
Combined Strategies for Sustainable Urban Wetland Parks
Dependence of the community of the marginal villages on the wetland was also calculated in percentage. In the beginning, a festival calendar was created with the help of the crowd that gathered and the students.
Community Participation in Wetland Conservation and Management
Reasons for Delay in Implementation- Stake-holders Conflicting Interest
Some villagers in the fringe area were denied approval for construction with permanent land documents (myadipatta). As many schools, hospitals have been built in these areas, the fringe area has not yet been declared as eco-sensitive zone.
Community Participation and Bio-rights possibilities
Its goal is the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources, thereby contributing to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity (Harry Jonas, 2010). The project was featured in the 4th UNEP TEEB (Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity) Report in 2010 as an effort to sustain best practice (South Asian Environment Forum, 2015).
Social and Community Benefits (human capital development)
National Wetlands Policy also advocates biorights, indicating that local communities are central to both collaborating and benefiting from natural resources. Watershed Programs for Natural Resource Management (NRM), XI Five Year Plan emphasized Community Forest Management (CFM) in collaboration with watershed committees and village panchayats to ensure maintenance of forest, watershed and common property resources.
Discussion and Analysis
- PRA recommendations
- FGD inferences of Primary Stakeholders
In addition, some smaller earth roads and areas of land exist in the vicinity of the wetland (Figure 6.3). There are between four and five forest tracking trails near his home in the Deochotal area in the south of the wetland.
Design research: Sustainable Factors and Humane Design
Demographic Analysis
- Population and Area
- Urban Growth Pattern
- Wetland Perspectives and Semiotic Analysis of Socio-Cultural values
- Socio economic analysis
In the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Deepor Beel, a substantial amount of funding has been approved for the upgradation of the fringe villages. The fishing villages on the western side of the wetland are proposed to be developed as an eco-village in its natural surroundings.
Analysis of DPR: Deepor Beel
FGD with Secondary Stake holders: Results and Analysis
- FGD Recommendations and Suggested Solutions for the Future
The honorable members of the FGD (Figure 6.10) unanimously agreed that there should be a separate Water Body Development Authority under the GMDA (or Government of Assam) for the implementation of this master plan. Current provisions for water body and community development in the DPR and master plan (ecopark) should be made transparent to communities.
Interviews and Recommendations
The inferences for wetland conservation and management from FGD, interviews and PRA are shown in the concept map below (Figure 6.11). A concept map for growth and development was sketched with the help of all FGD members and was also discussed with the GMDA consultant (Figure 6.13).
Interventions of Built Environment for Humane Design and Sustainable co-existence
All these proposed facilities offer a picturesque view of the blue water with the lush green backdrop of the hill to the south. Conservation buffer zones around the edges of the wetland were marked in accordance with the DPR proposal.
Design Decisions for Eco-Park
Site Analysis
- Hydrology
- Soil type
- Climate and environment
By comparing the existing master plan, the proposed DPR map (Figure 7.2), the proposed 2025 master plan and notified and potential notified areas, the site area was analyzed for development (Table 7.1). NRSC has generated the annual flood layer and flood hazard zone (Figure 7.6) for Assam based on the inundation derived from various multi-date satellite data acquired during the 2010 flood season.
Design Concept and Design Proposal
- Design Proposal for Recreation by GMDA
- Intervention of Design Decisions in the Design Proposal
- Design decisions for ecotourism sustainability
- Carrying capacity in design decision
Boating facilities are provided in the constructed wetland areas for city water runoff with a jetty. A cycling track was expected from the Eco-village in the North that extends to the nature reserve.
Area Matrix, Programming
- Built spaces
- Eco-village
The required spatial standards were mapped by the GMDA Building Regulations and formulated by the Universal Design Guidelines. Tourists can experience the fishing village in its traditional layout and design, along with experiencing fishing and various traditional crafts of pottery, metalwork, cane and bamboo products, Assamese silk, etc.
Design Recommendations with Ecofriendly Technology
- Ecological Benefits through Design
- Landscape Elements and Edging Details
A landscape consists of three main components: an area (both human settlements and wildlife habitat), a matrix and a corridor (Figure 7.14). The edge or boundary between two different landscape elements, such as water and land, or forest and cropland, has a distinct ecology known as Ecotone (Figure 7.17).
Cost Model
Due to changes in the ecological character and degradation of the lagoon ecosystem, it was included in the Monteux Record on 16/06/93. Sensitive senior men and women who know you in the past, Mukhiya/Sarpanch, youth.
Summary and Conclusions
Summary
- Proposed Built Environment and Design Decisions
- Universal Factors
- Local Factors
- Community Perception and Participation
- Ecological Aspects
- Economic Factors
- Education and Research Promotion
- Energy efficiency
- Cultural and Design Identities
Immediate attention needed to be given to the regeneration of the landscape for the forest cover along the wetland and watercourses in the forest. The types of edges used for landscape regeneration are open corridors (roads, paths, service corridors, grass strips), wooded corridors (hedges, avenues, hedges with plants) and riparian edges (the interface between land and a river or stream) in safety belts.
Conclusion and recommendations
Retrieved from Beijing, A Guide to China's Capital: http://www.china.org.cn/english/MATERIAL/30960.htm. Retrieved from South Asian Forum for Environment: http://www.safeinch.org/cmspage.php?id1=4&id2=66.
Wetlands regulations authority in India
Give details of the number and types of crimes in your village in the last five years. Mukhiya (Village Head), 2 Paspara Fishing Village Cooperative Committee Members, 2 Gao Panchayat Women Members, 2 Senior Retired Government Servants from the village.
Comparative study of 5 Ramsar wetlands in India
Brief biography of Interviewee
Village community schedule (PRA)
In the last three years, how many families in the village have benefited/helped from various government schemes. A few (3-4 people) neutral or unbiased persons who have sufficient knowledge about the economic situation of families in the village.
Steps of conducting PRA
Checklist for DPR analysis
FGD members’ credentials
Master plans
Presented conference paper “Adaption of Vernacular Architecture as a Sustainable Identity for the Contemporary Built Environment” at the South Asian Vernacular Architecture, SPA Bhopal, India December 11-13, 2015. Was invited as a keynote speaker and panel discussion at the 4th International Conference on .
Land area details of project Deepor Beel
List of proposed hardscape drawing attachments
List of proposed layout drawing attachments
Co-authored paper presented at the Manipal international symposium, "Integration of Green Palette in Desert Cities: Mitigating Challenges under the Stewardship of Dubai Municipality2015". Conference paper presented with the title “From Persian gardens to parks of the 21st century; a cross-cultural study on the constructed landscape of Dubai and India” at the Manipal Colloquium April, 2014, in Manipal University India.
List of proposed building plan attachments
List of publications
Co-presented "Community participation and bio-rights opportunities in urban wetland conservation: a study of Deepor Beel (lake), Guwahati, India" with Mr. .
