000			01877nam a22001817a 4500
999			_c38904 _d38904
020			_a9789394262614
082			_a333.915 451 _bGOG-S
100			_aGogate, Mahesh _eauthor.
245			_aThe Sacred Waters 'of' Varanasi: _bThe Colonial Draining and Heritage Ecology _cby Mahesh Gogate
260			_aLondon: _bRoutledge; _c© 2023
300			_a192p.
520			_aThis book on urban water bodies, catchment areas and drainage pattern is set against the backdrop of the unprecedented heavy rainfall that severely deluged metropolitan cities and other parts of India in recent years. The recurring natural catastrophes in water-stressed cities of India and alarming rate of diminishing water bodies, wetlads and catchment areas needs a re-visit to an entire urban water-cycle. This book, thus, discusses how the processes and implementation of colonial urban development policies and projects have radically transformed the water bodies and their catchment areas – traditional water holding systems of Varanasi city. In this imperative colonial process, through the case study of Varanasi, the book mainly engages with the reasons behind the elimination of the temple tanks and ponds after the annexation of Varanasi by the British from 1775 till 1947. The book investigates the colonial notion of ‘dry city’, and how this notion crafted the process of separating land and water bodies, which arguably resulted in the reclamation and draining of water bodies, and also gave rise to water pollution. Additionally, the book analyzes the elimination of water bodies and loss of catchment areas through the ongoing processes of restoring the ancient city’s natural and cultural heritage.
546			_aEnglish
650			_aHeritage ecology _vIndia _zVaranasi
650			_aWater Pollution _vIndia _zVaranasi
650			_aColonialism _vIndia _zVaranasi
942			_2ddc _cBK