A proactive approach towards sustainable and resilient development of fort city: Case

study of Bharatpur, Rajasthan

Bharatpur city is situated at extreme east of the Rajasthan state with close proximity to Uttar
Praesh and Madhya Pradesh border. The settlement dates back to sixteenth century and was
established by Jat ruler Suraj Mal. The city also hosts one of the largest man made wetland
ecosystem which has been identified as a Ramsar site. Recently, the Bharatpur district is added
to the NCR which makes the city prone to migration and population hike.
The city lies in a semi-arid climate zone with no perennial water stream in proximity, which
makes the city vulnerable to droughts. The ground water is being over exploited and no water
management strategy has been implemented. Soon the city will run out of water. Unmonitored
settlements in the city has led degradation of the moat system in the city which is of great
potential to counter water scarcity. Also, the west side of the city faces issues of water logging,
which has derogatory effects on living condition.
Hence, a proactive approach for sustainable development is the need of the hour for the city.
Preservation of heritage, water management and impact of city growth on Biodiversity Park
are the key aspects to be covered in the scope of work.

Reversing the degeneration of an ancient city: Case study of Pushkar City

The city of Pushkar is one of the oldest in India and is an important pilgrimage centre. The
city is settled around a lake with great religious value. The city hosts an annual fair which
attracts tourism influx in huge numbers. This create an enormous pressure on the city. The
Pushkar valley is also known for rose cultivation. Although the city lies in an arid climate zone,
but the rainy days are in abundance here. But on the contrary, the groundwater has been over
exploited which makes sustainability of century old practices quite difficult. On the other hand
projects to bring in water to the lake from the catchment has resulted in flash floods in the city.
Hence, a major concern for the city is efficient water management. Growing population and
high flux of tourist generates a need for an effective waste and sewerage management.
Conservation of the lake and monuments is also required. Also, new construction has led to
degradation of natural sand dune ecosystems.
Therefore water, waste and tourist management are the key aspects to be covered in the scope
of work.
 Regeneration through traditional water harvesting systems: A comparative study of
moats of fortified cities and their potential as water sources
One of the most common feature of fortified cities are the moats, which provided protection
against invaders and also served as water reservoirs. With growth in urbanization, the moats
are often neglected and are found in derogatory conditions now. Waste dumping, sewerage
discharge and encroachment are a few common factors leading to their poor conditions.
A comparative study of the cases Bharatpur, Deeg and Kuchaman city, which lies in an arid to
semi-arid climatic zone and face water shortage; moats holds potential to serve as water
reservoirs and aid the regular domestic water supply. And revival of moat in one of the above
mentioned cases would be the scope of work of the thesis.