Water as Leverage Up-scaling Workshop

The Water as Leverage Upscaling Workshop included a spectrum of stakeholders from Chennai, India and the global community and was organized to collectively envision next steps for upscaling, securing and replicating Water as Leverage, in Chennai and globally. The workshop was organized by Water as Leverage and was facilitated by Stephanie Jannsen. City of 1000 Tanks team lead Eva Pfannes presented the Mylapore Flagship project.

Group photo, Water as Leverage Upscaling Workshop, August 2023

The workshop had the following objectives

• Learn from and be inspired by two Water as Leverage projects in Chennai: Mylapore Heritage Project and Neithal Muttukadu: Resilient Landscapes.

• Explore and identify challenges and opportunities towards next steps in implementing the Mylapore and Muttukadu projects.

• Connect Chennai with the world aimed at supporting and developing global actions for upscaling Water as Leverage for inclusive, integrated and sustainable urban resilience programs and projects.

Water as Leverage Upscaling Workshop, August 2023.

Inauguration of the City of 1000 Tanks Water Balance Pilot

On 30th August 2023 the pilot was inaugurated by Thiru. K. N. Nehru, Minister for Municipal Administration, Urban and Water Supply, Government of Tamil Nadu along with Dr D Karthikeyan IAS , Principal Secretary to Government, MAWS in the presence of Henk Ovink, First Special Envoy for International Water Affairs for the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Ewout de Wit., Consul General, Kingdom of Netherlands, Michaela Küchler, Consul General, Germany

Thiru. K. N. Nehru, Minister for Municipal Administration, Urban and Water Supply, Government of Tamil Nadu along with Dr D Karthikeyan IAS , Principal Secretary to Government, MAWS during the inaugural tour hosted by City of 1000 Tanks. © 2023 Cynthia van Elk

The project is an initiative of Mr. Henk Ovink, the First Special Envoy for International Water Affairs for the Kingdom of the Netherlands and funded by the Government of the Netherlands in partnership with the city of Chennai, UN-Habitat and Resilience Cities Network, supported by the UN High-level Panel on water, among others.

Eva Pfannes, Team Lead City of 1000 Tanks, explains the project to Thiru. K. N. Nehru, Minister for Municipal Administration, Urban and Water Supply, Government of Tamil Nadu with Mr. Henk Ovink, the First Special Envoy for International Water Affairs for the Kingdom of the Netherlands. © 2023 Cynthia van Elk

“The Water Balance project shows what Water as Leverage is all about, a game-changer approach, people-centered and community-led solving the world’s most pressing water challenges. The pioneer project in Chennai proves the value of community-led, Nature Based Solutions' by design, that can lead the way ahead for upscaling and replicating: spreading from the city and the Ganga basin to the world. Putting the UN Water Action Agenda into practice. Yes, we can!”, said Henk.

Shilesh Hariharan explains the water chemistry samples and monitoring setup to Thiru. K. N. Nehru, Minister for Municipal Administration, Urban and Water Supply, Government of Tamil Nadu. © 2023 Cynthia van Elk

Sharing details about the project, Eva Pfannes, Director of Ooze Architects and Urbanists And Team Lead Of City Of 1000 Tanks, said, “The Water Balance Pilot is a first demonstration that will achieve its full potential when replicated in institutions across the city. In parallel, we plan to scale it up through a flagship project in Mylapore.”

She added, “The pilot is a vivid demonstration of the efficacy of scalable eco-system-based adaptation tools that can be deployed to address similar issues in the city. Infiltration gardens, when implemented city-wide will transform Chennai into a permeable and cool city. This increases the capacity to absorb and recharge water, thereby, reducing the impact of flooding.”

Speaking about the innovative project, Dr. Jayshree Vencatesan, Ecologist and Managing Trustee, of Care Earth Trust, said, “We are glad that the pilot project is being implemented at Little Flower Convent which is a pioneer institution of its kind in India. This 97-year-old institution imparts education for hearing-impaired and visually impaired children and adults and prepares them to integrate with normal society.  The fruits of this project can be enjoyed by all at LFC as the sewage infrastructure has been unburdened, the impact of flooding has been reduced and the local water security on underground aquifers has been strengthened. This project is in line with sustainable development goal 13 which is to limit and adapt to climate change. Urban cooling and increased biodiversity are additional benefits.”

Commissioning of solar power system for the Water Balance Pilot

The Water Balance Pilot is now fully powered by solar energy. As of last week, the installations have been completed and the remote monitoring set-up is underway. The installation was designed and executed by Sun-Lit Futures.

Solar panels installed at Little Flower Convent by Sun-Lit Future © Ooze

The Netherlands Embassy visits the Water Balance Pilot

The Senior Policy Advisor from the Netherlands Embassy in India visited the Water Balance Pilot. The embassy has been supporting the project and our team in Chennai was happy to share the completed project with them.  

Chennai Resilience Officer Krishnamohan Ramachandran with Senior Policy Advisor Nishi Pant visit the Water Balance Pilot. © Krishnamohan Ramachandran

First pruning completed in constructed wetlands

As part of the ongoing Operations and Maintenance phase of the Water Balance Pilot at Little Flower Convent, the constructed wetlands have been pruned for the first time. This action gives certain species a chance to grow stronger roots while giving some less-dominant species a chance to increase coverage.

Constructed Wetland after first pruning © Ooze

Second Operators Training workshop with LFC team

Hsoc Mathai from OOZE Architects facilitated the second operations and maintenance workshop along with trainers from the City of 1000 Tanks team, including – Arul Nambhi (Eco Village International), Vijay K (Capability Landscape), Shilesh Hariharan and Archana Y (Madras Terrace Architectural Works). The workshop was attended by the Little Flower Convent team with the institution heads, maintenance staff, security staff attending; and was conducted in both Tamil and English.

Attendees of the maintenance workshop standing near the Anaerobic Reactor © OOZE Architects 2023  ```

The session was a practical demonstration of the operations and maintenance protocol for each component. It was characterized by lively interaction and questions and has resulted in a greater level of understanding of the completed project.

Arul Nambhi (Eco Village International) and participants around the Constructed Wetland © OOZE Architects 2023 

City of 1000 Tanks Water Balance Pilot features in film about Water as Leverage programme.

The City of 1000 Tanks Water Balance Pilot was featured in a film about the impact of the Water as Leverage programme, published on World Water Day!

 In this film, Jayshree Venkatesan from Care Earth Trust speaks to the power of Water as Leverage in the midst of uncertainty. Chennai’s "City of 1,000 Tanks" is a model for hope and can be a springboard for integrated, inclusive water systems worldwide. Krishna Mohan from Resilient City Chennai speaks to the power of this perspective in Chennai’s Water as Leverage initiative, which has already resulted in a tangible demonstration project at the Little Flower Convent in Chennai, designed to create a closed-loop, nature-based water treatment system.

The Water Balance Pilot showcased at the Cities-Design-Water Innovation Lab part of the New York Water Week 2023

With the WaterWeek in full swing, we would also like to call your attention to the Cities-Design-Water Innovation Lab happening today as part of #NYWW.

During the lab our brilliant partner Krishna Mohan Ramachandran gets the chance to showcase the Water Balance Pilot we realised at the Little Flower Convent School for the Blind and Deaf in Chennai (IN) as part of the City of 1000 Tanks.

You can find more info on the event here: https://lnkd.in/eejpgFRh

KrishnaMohan Ramachandran, Chennai Resilience Officer presents the Water Balance Pilot.

Metrowater visits the Water Balance Pilot

A team from Metrowater visited the Water Balance pilot to help address the limited discharge from the site to the main sewer. Metrowater known in full as Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, is the statutory board of Government of Tamil Nadu which provides water supply and sewage treatment to the city of Chennai and its metropolitan region.

The team were shown the ongoing works on the Water Balance Pilot and the performance of the commissioned components. The City of 1000 Tanks team is grateful for the ongoing collaboration that metrowater has extended since the inception of the project in 2018.

Hsoc Mathai shows the Metrowater officials the commissioned components in the Water Balance Pilot © OOZE 2023

Water Balance Pilot construction completed

It is exciting to see our City of 1000 Tanks Water Balance Pilot blooming! Construction is completed and we have begun the monitoring phase to demonstrate the efficacy of re-localized nature-based solutions in Chennai.

Constructed Wetlands, Water Balance Pilot, T.Nagar. © 2023 OOZE architects

Constructed Wetlands Plants, Water Balance Pilot, T.Nagar. © 2023 Greenline Builders

Sub-surface irrigation pipes installed at Water Balance Pilot

The excavation and laying of the subsurface pipe have begun for the gardens in the Water Balance Pilot at Little Flower Convent.

The treated water is distributed across a network of subsurface Irrigation pipes. This network will regularly water and sustain the gardens in addition to discharging a majority of the water into the ground.

Digging of trenches for sub-surface irrigation © Ooze

Laying of sub-surface irrigation pipes © Ooze

City of 1000 Tanks Team meeting at Little Flower Convent

The City of 1000 Tanks team met on site to inspect the performance of the water treatment system and to calibrate the flows within the Water Balance Pilot. The team consisted of Eco Village International, OOZE architects & urbanists, Capability Landscape, Madras Terrace Architectural Works, Nala Builders and Green Line Builders.

Michael Shaw, Eva Pfannes and Shilesh H participate in the team meeting ©Ooze

City of 1000 Tanks team inspection of constructed wetlands ©Ooze

Design meetings to finalize planting for the Water Balance Pilot

After receiving final input from the LFC staff, a design workshop was organized to finalize the planting layout. Additionally, modifications to the circulation routes were incorporated to facilitate short-cuts generated by residents on the site.  

Eva Pfannes, Hsoc Mathai (OOZE architects & urbanists) and Arul Nambhi (Green Line Builders) discussing the planting layout.

Eva Pfannes, Hsoc Mathai (OOZE architects & urbanists) and Arul Nambhi (Green Line Builders) discussing the planting layout.

Project Commissioners visit the nearly completed Water Balance Pilot

A team from the Netherlands including representatives of Water as Leverage and the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management visited the Water Balance Pilot site. They inspected the ongoing works and met the staff of Little Flower Convent.

Sander Carpay (Ministry of Infrastructure & Water Management) with the City of 1000 tanks team ©Ooze

First Operators Training workshop with LFC team

Michael Shaw from Eco Village International (EVI) facilitated the first operations and maintenance workshop for the Little Flower Convent staff and team, along with support from Madras Terrace Architectural Works and the Chennai Resilience Centre.

The workshop focused on explaining the biology operating within the system, followed by a walk through the components in construction. The general flow of water and treatment stages were explained, in addition to the sub-surface irrigation which is under construction. The training was conducted in both Tamil and English.

Michael Shaw (EVI), explaining the performance of Nature Based Solutions.  © Ooze

Archana Y, Madras Terrace Architectural Works demonstrates the performance of sub surface irrigation.  © Ooze

Engineering Team visits Water Balance Pilot to monitor treatment

Michael Shaw from Eco Village International and Arul Nambhi visited to monitor the performance of the treatment, after 2 months of commissioning. Additionally, final tweaks were made to the controls of the re-circulation mound. 

Michael Shaw and Arul Nambhi test water quality at the Settler © Ooze

Michael Shaw inspecting controls for the recirculation mound © Ooze

Hydraulic commissioning of the Water Balance Pilot

The first few liters of wastewater were introduced into the settler, anaerobic reactor and constructed wetlands. This two-day process of hydraulic commissioning involved introduction of activated sludge and calibration of flow rates. The commissioning was led by Capability Landscape. The contractors – Nala Builders, Green Line Builders and Madras Terrace were present.

City of 1000 tanks team involved in Hydraulic Commissioning ©Ooze

Vijay K (Capability Landscape) calibrates the flow in the settler ©Ooze

City of 1000 Tanks awarded WIPRO grant for the Water Balance Pilot

The City of 1000 Tanks Water Balance Pilot has been awarded the Wipro Foundation - Care Earth Trust Urban Ecology Small Grant 2022-23!

The grant invited applications from organizations working on urban ecology challenges in India to help implement on-ground community initiatives in water management. For the Water Balance Pilot, the grant will be used to construct three recharge wells.

Schematic diagram showing the rain water flows proposed by City of 1000 Tanks for the Little Flower Convent campus ©Ooze

The grant represents our first local co-financing for this project. The winning application was made in collaboration with Paperman Foundation, IIT-Madras, OOZE Architects & Urbanists and Madras Terrance Architectural works.

Sourcing plants for the Water Balance Pilot

Green Line Builders organized a visit to several nurseries to identify the available species for the planting of the gardens within the Water Balance Pilot in Little Flower Convent. The nurseries were located within 20 kilometers from the site.

Arul Nambi leads the sourcing of plants from nurseries around Chennai. © Ooze

Brick pathways at the Water Balance Pilot

The pathways that traverse the Water balance Pilot will provide access to the various components in addition to facilitating movement of students between their hostels and school. Locally sourced clay bricks on edge are used to construct the pathways.

Construction of exposed brick pathways © Ooze

Construction of exposed brick pathways © Ooze