Seema Mundoli and Harini Nagendra’s ‘Shades of Blue’: Water and the city, flow and flaws

Mahesh Rangarajan

Water, its woes and wonders have for long loomed large in the ecology, cultures and histories of India. Nearly a quarter century ago, the book ‘Dying Wisdom’ by Anil Agarwal and Sunita Narain struck a chord by documenting the traditional system of water harvesting for potable and local irrigation water. It is also no surprise that slogans like ‘more crop per drop’ and discussions on ground water conservation figure prominently in a country where aquifers provide over 60 per cent of irrigation. Cities seem to alternate between scarcity and over-abundance.

This is that rare book that wears learning lightly on the sleeve. It is lucid and deeply insightful at the same time. Seema Mundoli, a polymath, and leading ecological scientist Harini Nagendra are more than established scholars of repute. From their base at Azim Premji University in Bengaluru, they authored ‘Cities and Canopies’ some four years ago, bringing to fore the wonders or/and threats to green cover in the cities.

The vexed issue of water and the city is the subject of this work. India is a monsoon-reliant country but one with 7,500 km of coastline. While the national anthem sings of rivers, it is as much a land of seasonal as well as perennial water bodies, some natural, others human-made and most a mix of both. How humans manage water has much to do with how we relate to one another.

No story of water, its use or abuse can leave humans out. Yet, it also needs to pay attention to myriad life forms that are vital to these living waters. This is what the authors have set out to do in 21 chapters. A mix of science, culture and community in specific settings works well — light in style, but provoking curiosity as well as concern.

Water may cover 70 per cent of the earth’s surface but less than half of 1 per cent is fresh water. India may have 18 per cent of the world’s people but has only 4 per cent of the fresh water. Further, only water in the narrow range of pH scale is fit for human use. More importantly, the level of human waste and chemical contamination now imperils the life cycles of marine creatures big and small.

By taking us on a journey of specific cities, the authors shed light on a range of situations. The work traces a history of interventions, such as the work of Arthur Cotton in the Krishna-Godavari delta in the 19th century and the historic Bhakra and Nangal dams in newly Independent India. While steering clear of early labeling, it warns of how long-term consequences need careful thought. This is all the more so at a time of global warming. Much more study of natural flows of water, both above and below ground, should precede projects, not follow in their wake.

The issues of equity are easy to comprehend once spelt out. After any flood in a town big or small, underpaid sanitation workers with little protective gear have to do the work of disposal of carcasses. There are other deeper exclusions marked in the past, like the displacement of Chandrawal village to create the water works as long ago as 1869. A cleaner environment should include all and pay special attention to human well-being of the worse-off sections.

Less well-known but equally important is the near extinguishment of livelihoods. The Pallikaranai marshes near Chennai have now been protected but 9/10ths have been drained, with fishers and gatherers losing income and material dignity as well. There are myriad instances of citizen groups taking up issues in places as diverse as Kolkata, Pune and Vadodara.

Most intriguing is the exploration of solastalgia, a yearning by individuals or groups in distress for a neighbourhood that is vanishing. Applied to India — and this will not surprise anyone who has lived or lives near a well, a pond, a lake or a river or the seashore — the protection of these has been one common citizen response to recent pressures. Mundoli and Nagendra argue that this is as much about human well-being in a broader sense.

There were and are a range of cultural and religious customs in different settings that honour, say, a river. This links the present-day controversies and initiatives to traditions of regard for nature in the larger sense.

This is a work that resonates beyond the Indian city or its water woes. It is a must-read for anyone concerned about our future in India, Asia or anywhere on the planet.