IIT-Kgp collaborates with three US varsities for water project in Varanasi

The IIT-Kharagpur on Tuesday said it has joined hand with three US 'Ivy League' universities for a water urbanism project at Varanasi to conduct an interdisciplinary study of infrastructure, healthcare and hydrology of the region.

A 50-member team of students, research scholars and academicians from the three universities would be collaborating with the students here between January 5 to January 14 this year and run workshops under the auspices of Varanasi Nigam and varied other organisations, said a press release issued by the institution.

The three US based varsities are the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation of Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania and the Harvard University.

Water urbanism is a geo-hydrological exploratory study of Varanasi, where river Ganga is integrated with the past and present of the ancient city and key to the growth of the city over the ages.

"The collaboration will provide designed solutions to major grounded initiatives on the Ghats and allied water systems of the ancient kund landscape systems of the city. It will help position a 3,000 year legacy of sustainable habitat recovery that have grown on such systems," said Prof Joy Sen, Head, Department of Architecture and Regional Planning at IIT Kharagpur.

"It will also identify the spots of retrofitting and turning around that is needed as of now to recover pedestrianization, demarcate limited vehicular infills and improve the greenery of the city," he added.

--IANS

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