Kamala Urban Farm Biodiversity Centre Farm is an attempt, in creating a framework of Flora and Fauna's coexistence, resulting in a Bio-diverse environment capable of driving the socio-economic development for people of the region. It works on a Cradle to Cradle C2C approach, where the death of a Process is seen as the beginning of a new Process leading to a Sustainable Biodiversity. This model is achieved by bringing together an Urban Barren Land located in Siruseri, Chennai and Reverse Osmosis Reject Water from a neighbouring Packaged Drinking Water Plant. RO Reject Water from the plant which used to flow to sewers is now diverted to this Land to form a Wetland.
It is designed and engineered as an Open Channel Hydraulic system balanced through a Water Retention Pond. This Water is made to pass through and retained in alternating Trenches and Bunds created by Red Soil. The soil is rich in Iron Oxides acts as the right interface to trigger PhytoRemediation of Water achieved by layering and planting diverse Herbs, Shrubs Trees along with aquatic species in a certain spatial order. The Wetland acts like a sponge environment facilitating Ground Water recharge in the neighbourhood, an ideal interface for Farming and also provides a habitat for birds to enter, settle and nest in the Green Environment. The attempt is to provide for the framework and allow nature to restore, replenish and create a biodiversity.
The Land contour is profiled into linear grids of alternating trenches and bunds. The reject water from the Drinking Water Packaging Plant is screened and allowed to pass on to these trenches. The Water starts spreading, percolating, recharging the ground below and finally achieves a threshold of retaining water. The Land parcel now starts behaving like a Wet Sponge holding Water and creating at Microclimatic region within the site.
The Bunds are introduced with diverse Multi-cropping including Plants, trees and shrubs.
Flora - All type of Fruits predominantly Bananas, Mangoes, Guavas, Herbs like Basil, Bamboo, are currently planted, etc.
Fauna -Plan to introduce Aquatic Fishes, Butterflies, Honey Bees is being considered. The Results so far are very promising, the Flora in the Farm at the present stage is now only dependent on this Wetland system Water and doesn't depend on any other source of Water like Bore well Water for its sustenance and Life.
