LIFECYCLE

ISSUE

As unbelievable as it may sound, currently the world has only 3% of fresh water! As per WWF out of that 3%, 2% is either frozen or inaccessible to humans. No wonder, if there ever will be a war, it will be for the water!

The fact that 2/3rd of the population of the world have to face extreme water scarcity at least a month each year speaks volumes of how recklessly natural resources are being treated, yet the blatant indifference towards it shows where  the priority lies.

CAUSE

While there are numerous reasons for water scarcity, some of the major ones are over-abstraction, conflicts, non-compliance to the treaties, pollution and weak laws regarding water contamination. 

With natural streams and rivers being polluted with industrial effluents and sewage waste, limited resources of clean water are available to people, resulting in them abstracting water from undergrounds. From small income groups to corporations, everyone is digging deep earth to conceive water through direct sources while decreasing and affecting the water table.

Impacting the water table at a high rate leads to water pollution, with the concentration of pollutants increasing, water bodies are decreasing. Decrease in wetlands, further deteriorated the situation as wetlands work as natural filters.

While the marginalized societies have no choice but to survive consuming the polluted water, those who can afford have to buy clean water. This gives an opportunity to the water mafia to capitalize on the natural source, paving the way for water politics.

In order to create awareness regarding the serious matter of water scarcity, the project conception is remembrance. Architecturally, monuments can be communicative. They have a unique way of narrating history, signifying the importance of the subject matter by creating awareness through the past, for the betterment of the future.

WHY REMEMBRANCE

Awareness, protesting through remembrance is one peaceful way of protesting against the brutal and injustice, developed in a way that can create awareness among humans regarding the scarcity of water, its effect as well as how it impacted people who fought against politics of water. It further highlights how conflict and impact can lead to the next war.

REMEMBRANCE AND IMPACTS

Remembrance through awareness about scarcity, can be proposing alternate ways in which water resources can be utilized. As deprivation is due to the fact that a water mafia operates in the supervision of municipalities and corporations, the only way to defeat them is to find alternative ways by which water can be conserved and reused.  

Monuments can be highly impactful without being very provocative or inciting violence-a peaceful way to protest and appreciate history. Design has considered multiple factors of a monument; how it represents the present, narrates the past or creates awareness for the future. Even if protest is not honored, it must have taught the value to society. Value of the time it's created in.

PURPOSE OF DESIGN

Programmatically design purpose is to protest through solution, as water scarcity can’t be met just through protest. Designing an alternative to the water source could act as an expression to boycott the municipal politics. Alternate sources were considered inclusive of AI that can teach the importance of technology to help in the future.

DESIGN SPECIFICS AND SITE

Design is programmed considering the site, Equator being the most impacted region, drastic climatic changes have been noticed over the recent past. Sources to produce water through modern and traditional practices are considered when designing the programme; it includes catching fog through large mesh wires, harvesting rain through accumulating surfaces and ponds, and modern day cloud seeding depending on slight variation in climate over the region.

producing water through fog catcher is basically to fulfill the demand of water with least resources being used and nature being the source, while cloud seeding will act as a catalyst in providing ideal conditions for the purpose-built programme.

Initially the design will be installed specifically at Impala Sanctuary Kisumu, running along Lake Victoria. Historically, Lake Victoria is one of the most tense sites politically and statistically. It is a major source that provides water to numerous African regions, resulting in conflicts as no certain treaty is followed. 

Design incorporates numerous crystal form fog catchers that are actually interconnected so it accumulates water in a pond, representing traditional dew ponds, while within these, crystal cloud seeders are fixed, to develop rain clouds within the desired zone. This will simultaneously allow the climate to make the design more purposeful and meaningful as far as future plans are concerned. Creation of clouds will allow the design to deliberately act as a rain cloud. While the form will show itself as a group of crystals. Design installation will stand over a porous platform, as the accumulated water seeps through, this will allow the water table of the site to nourish itself and awareness over the importance of water is created. Crystals stand over AWG (Air Water generator) source which is operated through sucking moist air in, through the upper chamber while pond water will also be utilized if moist air depreciates. Allowing the installation to be operated at all times.

DESIGN AND SOCIETY

Scarcity has hit both urban and rural zones, awareness is needed in both more importantly in urban, utilization is needed to be monitored. The extravagant utilization of water by rich made the poor suffer, many are forced to consume contaminated water, resulting in them catching water-borne diseases and high rate of infant deaths. Out of 2 million deaths, a million due to lack of water-borne diseases.  

DESIGN ITERATIONS

Design required several iterations before being taken into the final stage. As a combination of programs, technologies and strategies were considered, iteration considering the varying climatic changes within the equatorial region. Weather was one factor which highly affected the strategy. Economical aspects were considered since high tech inclusion might not be very appreciated among the underdeveloped region of the equator.

These site restrictions with the economical factor coming took design formation and development to mold with time.  

The specific objective of this protest was to make the world aware about the scarcity of water, its impact in the past, present and the near future. Remembering the work done by individuals to find alternative ways to save water will be  one of the factors that will enhance the program. Their life being at stake and their sacrifice in the recent past will never be forgotten.

Methods of design investigation were based on utilization and study of individual sources of technology and traditional ways as these alternatives were previously utilized and tested.

Success of this protest might consider the expansion of the plan. Variables of this design can be installed over the equator, since scarcity has hit more underdeveloped part, this economical design installation might be a good step, as we expand the program.

Considering the varying climate and climatic changes in the recent past have affected differently, low depression zones getting high, while sand storm zones getting hit by high rainfall. Transformation of design will be considered according to the climatic conditions and advancement in technology.