Chennai today, stands at a very crucial point in terms of climate change. While the 2015 floods, put the city in global focus, the city’s silent fight against drought continues year after year. Chennai’s water supply is solely dependent on the north-east monsoon, making it rain based water economy. Studies suggest that Chennai will face more sparse but intense spells of rain in the future. This creates a pressing need to make maximum utilization of the monsoons to harvest water for the dry seasons.

The Pallikaranai Marsh plays an important role in this aspect,acting as the city’s own natural sponge,helping to retain water;thus proving to be an effective mitigation strategy against both floods and droughts.

The proposed design solution aims to address this water paradox by proposing interventions that focus on the improving the quality and quantity of water along various scales:

a. The Feeder – Receiver Prototype ; that can be replicated in other water networks to revive the lost water loop

b. The Sponge Neighbourhood Prototype ; that can be used as a prototype for saving water across large developments

c. The Perungudi Dumpyard ; restoring of which is crucial to the ecosystem of the Marsh.