Life is surrounded by death, predictable and also unpredictable, tangible and also intangible, slow and also fast. My project tries to shed light on this kind of death and reinforce life in it. Death here refers to the pollution in the Yamuna River that flows through India’s capital, New Delhi. The sacredness and interdependence of people on rivers have converted the holy river into a huge sewer without life. This in turn affects both people and the ecosystem. The context of the project lies at the interjunction of Najafgarh Drain with the River, which continues to be the source of contamination spreading into the sacred river. The proposal starts with the sacred Parikrama, or circulation, located above the junction. This site is proposed as an in-between public space, bridge, and pavilion. Movement is reinforced with a water-healing mechanism through a network of natural means consisting of a perforated wall, aeration, sedimentation, constructed wetlands, and micro-algae photo bio-reactors. The system converts the black water from the sewer into clean, blue water and offers it to the sacred river through the trajectory of this movement. People can visualize healing through their journey and consequently become aware of the importance of the river’s sacredness.
