Appealing to stakeholders to come together for transforming Madurai into a place for better living, speakers at the international symposium on ‘Urbanisation, ecology and community development’ held at Thiagarajar College of Engineering here on Monday said government officials, individuals or a group of citizens alone could not bring about changes or achieve this goal.
Madurai, a rare combination of rich tradition of culture and space for literature, has a river – the Vaigai – flowing into the city. Unfortunately, the riverbanks have shrunk due to urbanisation and neglect.
In a bid to understand the problems, the students and faculty members of the Department of Architecture, , in association with Columbia University, New York, launched an initiative to study the ‘City and the River’ a year ago.
After interacting with various sections of society, the students found that the river remained dry for almost eight months in a year. The land inside the river was used more as a dumping yard. Poor planning had led to rampant encroachment.
The study, which was documented, recommended projects such as linking of water channels and revival of tanks as they could recharge groundwater and closely connect to the neighbourhood.
Agricultural landscould be put to better use and crops raised. By doing so, the cultivable area could be kept intact and by using technology, waste land could be turned productive. It would help restore greenery and save the Vaigai.
Commending the TCE and the students for taking up the useful project, Corporation Commissioner Sandeep Nanduri hoped the city would join the Smart City club.
He said when conservancy workers cleaned up the Vaigai every week, the people continued to dump waste. “People had to cooperate (with the administration) by stopping it,” he said.
Dhan Foundation was involved in a number of initiatives to revive the river, he said and appealed to the youngsters to educate the people on the need for a new Madurai.
College correspondent Karumuttu T. Kannan said for a city to look beautiful there had to be a river. Madurai had Vaigai river, but it had lost its beauty. “We have to collectively put in efforts and bring about substantial change. There is no point in blaming government or officials for all the bad done by us,” he said.
Kate Orff and Geeta Mehta from Columbia University shared their views through a video message.
Urban designer K. Sree Kumar, architect Siva Subramanian and Keerthi Kobla addressed the participants.
