The project ‘City of 1,000 Tanks’ offers a holistic solution to the problems of floods, water scarcity and pollution and identifies the interrelationships between the underlying causes in Chennai.

City of 1000 Tanks Vision for Chennai ©2019 Ooze Architects

A City of 1000 Tanks ©2019 Ooze Architects

City of 1,000 Tanks intends to develop a Water Balance Model across the city by collecting rainwater, treating wastewater and runoff pollution with decentralised Nature-Based Solutions (NBS), and by recharging both to the underground aquifer. This will prevent climate-change-induced droughts by increasing groundwater reserves and prevent saline intrusion from sea-level rise. Simultaneously, it will mitigate risks associated with high-frequency floods as well as sewage pollution.

This project intends to fix supply-side issues by creating water retention and supply capabilities of 200-250 MLD (Million Litres per Day) in first two phases (out of the current 1,580 MLD urban demand). Chennai risks running out of water in the next decade, given projected increases in population and the depletion of the water table. The project relies on Nature Based Solutions to holistically solve problems of water supply, sewage and flooding.