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Dharavi Weekly 13 - Water City

Aug 10 2020

Authors

Bharat

Gangurde

Bansi

Patel

People involved

Rahul

Srivastava

Dharavi Weekly 13 - Water City

Aug 10 2020

Authors

Bharat

Gangurde

Bansi

Patel

This Article Is Part Of The Following Collection

This article is part of the following collection

Dharavi 2020: The Covid-19 challenge

urbz researched and reported on the ground realities in Dharavi during the COVID-19 pandemic. This series of reports was published from April to November, 2020. We have compiled a collection of four pandemic-focused articles, fifteen Dharavi Weekly issues, and five Dharavi Fortnightly issues available for download.

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Updates on the Garden of Festivities, Tree Planting Process!

Kolis have been vanguards of climate change and the environmental crisis, constantly responding and adapting to an urbanising landscape in ways that allow them to continue fishing, even in the most critical contexts.

The Kolis of Dharavi are now turning a landfill along the Mithi River into a garden for Dharavi Koliwada. Defending their commons is becoming increasingly difficult, and transforming one that is a landfill demonstrates an extraordinary commitment to place. A commitment nurtured by a shared history and identity that is deeply intertwined with the Mithi Estuary.

For the past two years, we have been working alongside the Kolis of Dharavi to attend to and care for this neglected urban landscape. This week the first trees have been carefully planted - eight young coconut palms that will be part of a coconut orchard. The coconut is integral to coastal communities. On the festival of Naralli Purnima, the Kolis offer coconuts to the waters as a symbol of reciprocity with the environment.

Photo 1,2 - The young palms are carried to the site

Photo 3 - Salt is mixed into the red soil as a source of chlorine

Photo 4, 5- Bricks are crushed as a sub-base before adding the soil.

Photo 6, 7 - The young palm is firmly planted

Photo 8 - Shared vision of the Coconut Orchard

Photo 9 - Offering coconuts to the Mithi Estuary on Naralli Purnima

#gardenoffestivities #landscape #gardenbytheriver #mithi #urbanlandscape #koli #kolicommunity #architecture #urbandesign

Workshop Guadua y Periferia en Siloe. Este taller se enfocó en la consolidación de la segunda etapa de Teatro Verde de la corporación @lomeritos.siloe organización del Siloe que promueve el arte y la cultura en el territorio. Este proceso a contado con la coordinación de @nataliadulceytaller77 y el apoyo de @casagrafo y @urbznet. Gracias a todos los participantes por apoyar la consolidación de este espacio comunitario.

We are thrilled to announce the launch of “The Homegrown City” by Matias Echanove and Rahul Srivastava, founders of urbz.

Slums, informal settlements, and other unplanned habitats are seen as the antithesis of the metropolis. The book explores how neighbourhoods and their inhabitants have been unfairly dismissed when they should, in fact, be understood as partners in the story of cities and urban development.

The book is being published by Verso Books, London and will be available from 13th January, 2026. You can click the link in our bio to pre-order your copy now!

#thehomegrowncity #urbznet #dharavi #radicalurbanism #design #architecture

Updates on Garden of Festivities Construction Process !!!

1. President of the Koli Jamat, Domnik Kini, performs the Bhoomi Pujan, in the presence of other members of the Jamat and the urbz team

2,3. The excavation of the landfill begins

4. The debris piled up to a mound more than 2 metres high!

5, 6. Construction of a stone retaining wall to hold the debris.

7,8. Tank repair in progress

9. Children appropriate the tank as a place of play

10. Collective vision for the project

#gardenoffestivties #urbznet #kolicommunity #dharavikoliwada #urbanlandscape #mithiriver #architecture #makeinindia #greeningthecity