Water as Leverage- Setting the scene for a call for action
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<strong>Water</strong> <strong>as</strong> <strong>Leverage</strong> <strong>for</strong> Resilient Cities Asia <strong>Setting</strong> <strong>the</strong> Scene <strong>for</strong> a Call <strong>for</strong> Action Content<br />
Chennai<br />
Creating an<br />
ambitious urban<br />
plan by developing<br />
comprehensive local<br />
projects<br />
According to Chennai’s latest<br />
M<strong>as</strong>ter Plan (2026) and several<br />
o<strong>the</strong>r official city reports, <strong>the</strong><br />
Chennai administration is striving to<br />
accomplish <strong>the</strong> following objectives:<br />
(1) creating a hub <strong>for</strong> tech companies<br />
<strong>call</strong>ed <strong>the</strong> IT Corridor, (2) addressing<br />
urban inequality, (3) tackling water<br />
governance and climate change<br />
issues, and (4) improving spatial<br />
knowledge management and<br />
participation.<br />
On site, several individual waterrelated<br />
projects are already<br />
underway, which are financed and<br />
supported by different banks. A<br />
set of me<strong>as</strong>ures h<strong>as</strong> been taken<br />
to reduce <strong>the</strong> shortage of water.<br />
Landowners are obliged to install<br />
sufficient rainwater infiltration<br />
me<strong>as</strong>ures, a v<strong>as</strong>t road-b<strong>as</strong>ed<br />
distribution network brings water<br />
from upstream are<strong>as</strong> and b<strong>as</strong>ins to<br />
<strong>the</strong> city, and two reverse osmosis<br />
plants were constructed to convert<br />
saline water into fresh water.<br />
Additionally, cleanup me<strong>as</strong>ures<br />
by <strong>the</strong> government, volunteer<br />
organizations and NGOs attempt to<br />
reduce <strong>the</strong> pollution of <strong>the</strong> surface<br />
water.<br />
Chennai’s ambitions to improve<br />
waterworks and decre<strong>as</strong>e urban<br />
inequality have also led to initiatives<br />
that aim to beautify Marina Beach<br />
and to restore <strong>the</strong> waterways,<br />
canals and riverbanks. In turn, <strong>the</strong>se<br />
initiatives have created momentum<br />
to relocate inhabitants of in<strong>for</strong>mal<br />
settlements to in-situ housing and<br />
large-scale tenement clusters on <strong>the</strong><br />
outskirts of Chennai.<br />
Urban Area<br />
However, <strong>the</strong>se existing initiatives<br />
are barely linked to each o<strong>the</strong>r; being<br />
short-term and sectorial <strong>the</strong>y don’t<br />
Existing Plan<br />
ad up to a bigger picture. An update<br />
of Chennai’s M<strong>as</strong>ter Plan could<br />
embody this overall framework,<br />
but <strong>as</strong> <strong>for</strong> today it doesn’t succeed<br />
to integrate <strong>the</strong>se separated but<br />
potentially interdependent projects.<br />
So in order to steer this M<strong>as</strong>ter<br />
Plan towards an ambitious and<br />
sustainable urban plan, <strong>Water</strong> <strong>as</strong><br />
<strong>Leverage</strong> is looking <strong>for</strong> new local<br />
projects that strive to connect with<br />
Chennai’s many urban challenges<br />
and, by doing so, represent an<br />
added value <strong>for</strong> <strong>the</strong> city on many<br />
fronts simultaneously.<br />
<strong>Water</strong> System<br />
Comprehensive Projects<br />
Isolated Projects<br />
New Holistic Urban Plan<br />
Call <strong>for</strong> Action<br />
Urban Area<br />
<strong>Water</strong> System<br />
Existing Plan<br />
Comprehensive Projects<br />
Isolated Projects<br />
New Holistic Urban Plan<br />
86 Call <strong>for</strong> Action<br />
PART 1 / From Global <strong>Water</strong> Issues to a Call <strong>for</strong> Action<br />
87
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