I was invited recently to Dodamarg, Maharashtra by the Akhil Bharatiya Maratha Mahasangh, (ABMM) Sindhudurg with eminent Advocate Suhas Sawant at its helm, along with Goa’s eminent environmentalist Rajendra Kerkar as well as young advocate Uma Sawant and founder of Symantak University of Life (Dhamapur) Sachin Desai, to share our knowledge and insights on sustainable construction techniques drawing from traditional practices, potentials of Ecotourism, laws on controlled development and sustainable village and opportunities for entrepreneurship for youth.
The ABMM members were concerned that the Dodamarg region just across the border from Goa had been witnessing rapid urbanisation and unregulated township projects causing environmental destruction and loss of traditional livelihoods. Its members also acknowledged the fact that development was essential but that it was equally important to preserve Dodamarg’s rich ecological and cultural heritage. And most importantly, their objectives were to integrate sustainable best practices into modern infrastructure planning and involve experts, policy makers and stakeholders to explore innovative solutions that could compliment Dodamarg’s environmental and economic needs.
I had first visited Dodamarg more than ten years ago to the village of Mangeli with a large group of children and we had trekked through the quaint village, its stunning plateau at Sada with mesmerising views of the Sahyadris and the Tillari Dam area, the caves under the plateau and finally the most amazing Mangeli waterfall. Did you know that this village on the plateau was planned so sustainably that it had a couple of laterite stone stepped wells so beautifully designed that one could go down to its lower levels quite comfortably even at the peak of summer? The village was self-sufficient and we were taken care of by the locals with a hearty meal of home grown staples- rice, seasonal vegetables and a bounty of fruits. I had often heard my Papa talk about Shivaji’s great engineering capabilities and architectural brilliance when he talked about forts like Sadashivgad in Karwar and others built in Goa.
Isn’t it amazing that Shivaji built these forts so sustainably using local materials and planned in such a way that there were lakes, ponds and fresh water sources that an entire village and more could survive on in those times. While we remember Shivaji today, do we recall and practice these values of resourcefulness, innovation, collaboration, environmental protection, conservation of water, high quality outcomes and efficiency? Do we practice the values that Shivaji upheld in sustainability, good governance, respect to all religions and working for the well-being of citizens?
Development cannot be done at the cost of the environment that gives us fresh air, water, food, almost everything that we need today. Planning for sustainability with values set in traditional and nature based practices is but part of all development. There are alternatives today to limit the use of RCC, steel, glass, and such artificial items, the very materials that are causing global warming and spiralling climate change.
Shri Kerkar lamented about the environmental degradation of the village and Dodamarg region as a result of the infrastructure building since the dam building. But he asserted that the rich tribal and indigenous culture and biodiversity of Dodamarg, that is still practiced and seen today, has the potential for Eco tourism initiatives if planned in a non- exploitative manner and one that gives ownership and custodianship to its local youth and community.
Young Advocate Uma Sawant from Kudal, who has also studied microbiology and is an environmental lawyer, stressed the need to understand the laws of the region and neighbouring states and use the provisions to challenge uncontrolled development that can ruin and destroy pristine biodiversity, different ecologies and uniqueness of our villages and towns.
Sachin Desai, inspired everyone to dive deep into the understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals by UN, opportunities to pitch our villages for Best Tourism Village International Award giving examples of the only 3 in India that feature in the list- Dhordo in Gujarat, Kongthong in Meghalaya and Pochampalli in Telangana. He also shared inspiring stories of youth in Sindhudurg who have returned to their villages from big cities and have started successful initiatives like ‘Ajgaonkar Ajji’s Eco-Store’ , Farm to kitchen ‘Swayam Naturals’, ‘Konkan Routes’, etc.
So if Dodamarg has sparked its design and sustainable thinking for its future where environment and culture can be protected, can Goa too, take advantage?
Today I was invited by The Resources and Energy Institute (TERI) for the ‘Mainstreaming Climate Sensitive Urban Planning in Goa’ stakeholder meeting that had Government Agencies/Departments like the TCP, PDA, Smart City, G-SUDA, etc. to moderate one of its sessions on Climate Sensitive approaches in Urban Spatial Planning. We first closed our eyes and reflected on our childhood memories and special moments spent in spaces in our villages and cities, how these have changed with rapid urbanization and unplanned development, how these will be impacted with the impending rise in sea level and global warming and what we need to do to mitigate the impact and simply survive!
All the participants were vocal and in unison asserted that the river, khazaans, manos, fields, coconut lined bunds, hills full of berries, walking, meeting and knowing fellow citizens, climbing a tree, etc were key to the sustainable growth and well-being. Only one town planner wisely asserted that as planners, designers, engineers, developers, builders, etc, ‘we’ have the knowledge, power and opportunity to plan our cities, towns and villages to be beautiful, livable and sustainable.
He said it's not the cities or towns alone that need to undergo renewable development but our villages too need to be planned in advance in a sustainable manner where all the unforgettable memories and unique places of our childhood are preserved and environment and development go hand in hand. The power to effect positive and sustainable change is with each one of us. Let’s use it to our advantage- for Goa and for the Konkan region.
(Tallulah D’Silva is an
architect and silver
awardee of the Golden Door Award 2020 for truth and integrity.)