Belagavi Nala Revitalisation project wins ISOLA award

Belagavi Nala Revitalisation project by Reading Grounds, Bengaluru wins this year’s Indian Society of Landscape Architect (ISOLA) Award in the Unbuilt Design Category

Reading Grounds is an architecture and a landscape design practice based in Bengaluru. The team comprising of five members researching on the network of nalas of Belagavi. Mr. Shantesh Kelvekar and Ms. Maithily Velangi from Belagavi led a research and design work on the revitalisation of the nala network within the city.

The Belagavi Taluka comprises of a stream network of over 350 km. due to the terrain and its geographical location of being at the foot of Western Ghats. The City’s Muncipal limits itself comprise approximately 40 km. of a network – which was considered as part of the revitalisation proposal.

The nalas that are actually sweet water stream – that one can witness near Hotel Green and Vaccine Depot – they are an overflow from Lakshmi Tekdi and Rakaskop reservoir. The water, as it transitions through the city, get mixed with sewage. One can clearly see the transition in the quality of water as it passes through Camp, Station Road, Shastry Nagar and Shivaji Garden right up to Old PB Road, before it touches Bellary Nala.

‘Nala’, often termed in the context of sewage drain, has now become a reality of the people of Belagavi. The design proposal looks at a fundamental and a pragamatic solution of claiming back the water streams from these nalas and develop them into a green network which allows for pedestrian and bicycle connections, public greens and connected ecological corridors for reviewing the landscape of Belagavi.

The team believes that doing this in phases will reduce the significant carbon footprint of the city, and will bring down the temperature in the coming years. Their next plan of action is to host an event/ exhibition to engage the city’s public to participate and also to create awareness on the possibilities. They’re also trying to get in touch with Belagavi Smart City Limited to show them this proposal.

The team comprising of Preetanshi Singh, Shantesh kelvekar, Maithily Velangi, Siddhi Khirad and Kushal Surana from Reading Grounds has won this year’s Indian Society of Landscape Architects (ISOLA) Award in the Unbuilt Design category for their ongoing design and research proposal.