Living with Water explores the perennial, dynamic relationship between water and the built environment in South Asia. This interdisciplinary survey of the unique urban and ecological landscapes of the region presents a diverse selection of cities and projects, and offers practical, contextual strategies for the design and protection of these sites against emergent impacts of climate change and population growth.Water resources in South Asia are some of the most vulnerable to the effects of global warming. In the many historic urban centres that have grown over time along the rivers and waterfronts of the region, deteriorating water systems and rapid population expansion have contributed to problems such as water insecurity, exposure of built structures to weather damage, floods, and erosion.Case studies drawn from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka illustrate a range of contemporary and traditional approaches to living with water within the ecosystems, floodplains, wetlands, waterfronts, river systems, and water networks of the region.Chapters authored by architects, planners, historians, sociologists, geographers, and environmentalists combine insights into analytical methods and processes of urban planning and development, with critical attention to the importance of cultural heritage, vernacular construction, traditional water systems, and indigenous knowledge in shaping climate-resilient built and natural environments.This context supports resilient ecology and a sustainable approach to building and resource management, offering guidance in the creation of water-sensitive development, integrated urban design, wetlands restoration, and more. Living with Water is an essential read for researchers and professionals in architecture, urban planning, water management, environmental conservation, real estate development, tourism, and local governance, and will appeal to broad range of readers interested in the history, geography, and culture of South Asia.
Explores dynamics of water and the built environment in the urban and ecological landscapes of South Asia. Case studies from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka offer guidance to improve climate resilience through water-sensitive development, integrated urban design, and resource management in cities, wetlands and ecosystems.
List of Contributors
Introduction
PART I
Water and Urbanism
1 Population, Urbanization, and Water in South Asia: A General Prospective
Asad Aziz and Muhammad Mushahid Anwar
2 Living on Waters Edge: Prospects of Hydrological Urbanism in Bangladesh
Iftekhar Ahmed
3 Factors Influencing Integration of Waterfront in the City through Urban
Waterfront Transformation Phenomenon
Bhavna Vimawala
4 One River, Many Incarnations: Revisiting the Interplay of City, Water and
Culture in the Delhi Triangle
Jyoti Pandey Sharma
5 Landscape of Land-Water Interface: Sustainable Water Sensitive Development
of Eastern Periphery of Dhaka Metropolitan Area
Ayasha Siddiqua and Farida Nilufar
PART II
Water and Nature
6 The Making of a Hydro-Hazardscape: A Historical Geography of the Ravi River
in Lahore
James L. Wescoat Jr.
7 Wetlands, Urbanization, and Climate Change in Colombo, Sri Lanka
Elizabeth Dean Hermann
8 Co-learning, Unlearning, and Relearning from the Experiences of the
Communities Living with and on Water in Bangladesh
Md. Nawrose Fatemi and Tahmina Rahman
9 Braided River Ecosystems of India: A Conundrum to Coexisting with Rivers
That Meander
Manju Rajeev Kanchan, Vishakha Jha, and Jyoti Verma
PART III
Water and Culture
10 Waterfront Development and Disaster Management in the Vernacular
Settlement of the Mountainous Region in Remakri, Bangladesh
Anindita Laz Banti
11 A Vernacular Response to River-erosion: The Traditional Houses of
Munshiganj, Bangladesh
Dilruba F Shuvra
12 Yamuna and The Sacred Urban Landscape of Vrindavan, India
Amita Sinha, Nidhi Kapri, and Neha Goyal Tater
13 Delving into the Hiti System- the traditional water system of Kathmandu
Valley
Padma Sunder Joshi
14 Meaning of Insularity and Isolation for Karachis Manora Island
Suneela Ahmed and Sarah Athar Khan
PART VI
Water and Development
15 Objectively Verifiable Indicators to Analyze the Impact of Urban Wetland
Management System in The Colombo Metropolitan Region
Dilshan Remaz Ossen and Surangi Gunawardena
16 How Urban River Integrates or Disintegrates a City: A Case of Mongla Town,
Bangladesh
Imon Chowdhooree, Tasfin Aziz, Md. Jubaer Rashid, and Meherab Hossain
17 On the Waters Edge: Rural Migrants and Continuum of Livelihood
Vulnerabilities in the Waterfront Informal Settlements of Khulna
Sheikh Serajul Hakim, Apurba K. Podder, and Md Toukir Hossain
18 Greywater Recycling at Household Level to Mitigate Water Scarcity Issues
in Pakistan
Muhammad Mohsin Shafique and Naeem Shahzad
Index
Mohammed Mahbubur Rahman, Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Ahsanullah University, has taught in Canada, Malaysia, Bahrain, KSA, Oman, and Bangladesh, and led academic and professional entities. A Nottingham University PhD-holder, Commonwealth Scholar, and McNamara Fellow, Mohammed studied architecture and urban development. During a World Bank fellowship, he researched housing NGOs. Mohammed has published on and appeared at conferences on the global city, the waterfront, housing, liveability, traditional architecture, conservation, and the like. He has seven books on various urban development and design issues to his credit, and is a reviewer for several international journals on architecture, planning, vernacular settlements, environment, sustainable development, and construction. Mohammed edited the Handbook of Waterfront Cities and Urbanism, published by Routledge in October 2022.
Md. Nawrose Fatemi is the Head of the Department of Architecture, University of Asia Pacific, Dhaka. A Monbukagakusho Scholar, Prof. Fatemi completed his PhD research at the Urban Design and Development Studio of the Department of Global Architecture at Osaka University, Japan. His research interests include urban resilience, urban water management, canal restoration, and riverfront development. He earned his Master of Architecture degree from the Department of Architecture at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology. Prof. Fatemi is also actively connected as a member of the International Water Associationa UK-based nonprofit organization and knowledge hub for the water sector.
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