5/5 Shital J. 1 year ago on Google
Sabarmati
river
has
been
an
integral
part
in
the
life
of
Ahmedabad
since
the
time
the
city
was
founded
in
1411
along
the
river
banks.
Besides
being
an
important
source
of
water,
it
provided
a
backdrop
to
cultural
and
recreational
activities.
During
the
dry
seasons,
the
river
bed
became
a
place
for
farming.
With
time
it
also
offered
place
for
various
informal
economic
activities,
and
the
river
banks
were
used
by
informal
squatter
settlements.
Gradually,
however,
the
intensive
uses
took
their
toll
on
the
river.
Untreated
sewage
flowed
into
the
river
through
storm
water
outfalls
and
dumping
of
industrial
waste
posed
a
major
health
and
environmental
hazard.
The
river
bank
settlements
were
disastrously
prone
to
floods
and
lacked
basic
infrastructure
facilities.
Lacklustre
development
took
shape
along
the
riverfront.
Such
conditions
made
the
river
inaccessible
and
it
became
a
virtual
divide
between
the
two
parts
of
the
city.
Slowly,
the
city
turned
its
back
towards
the
river.
There
had
been
a
long-standing
acknowledgement
that
the
riverfront
could
be
turned
into
a
major
urban
asset
from
its
undesirable
state.
Proposals
to
achieve
the
same
have
been
made
since
the
1960s
and
it
was
finally
in
1998
that
this
multi-dimensional
project
was
envisioned
and
undertaken
by
the
city.
Sabarmati
The
Sabarmati
River
is
a
monsoon-fed
river
that
flows
north-south
through
Ahmedabad,
bisecting
the
city
into
its
western
and
eastern
halves.
It
has
been
an
integral
aspect
of
Ahmedabad
city
since
its
foundation.
Initially,
the
river
was
the
city’s
prime
source
of
water.
Today,
water
is
supplied
from
many
distant
sources.
Nonetheless,
the
river
continues
to
be
important.
It
has
provided
space
for
cultural
and
recreational
activities
along
the
banks.
Mahatma
Gandhi
set-up
his
ashram
along
the
banks
of
the
river
and
during
the
freedom
movement,
the
Salt
March
began
from
here.
The
wide,
oft-dry
riverbed
and
riverbanks
were
used
more
extensively
to
launder
clothes
and
to
dye
textiles.
During
the
dry
seasons,
the
river
bed
was
used
for
farming.
It
also
became
a
venue
for
other
informal
economic
activities
such
as
the
‘Ravivari’-
Sunday
flea
market.
Gradually,
many
of
the
city’s
migrant
and
poor
population
began
to
live
in
informal
settlements
on
the
river
banks.
