Susthira Bhavanam Sustainable Habitats

The Project

The state of Kerala, India experiences acute water scarcity
during summer despite heavy rainfalls. This is because the steep land slopes and extremely
porous soil contribute to rapid surface and subsurface run off. Water scarcity is further
aggravated by the indiscriminate mining of rocks, top soil and river sand to meet the ever
increasing demand of building construction on one hand and very high per capita water
demand, thanks to the extravagant life style of people. Piped water supply schemes of
Government aggravate the problem by depleting the water accumulated in valleys. Besides
such schemes are very expensive to build and maintain and highly energy intensive.
The project aims to address the root cause of this problem holistically. It offers a package of
solutions at the family and community level, consisting of dwelling units using locally
available eco-friendly materials and technologies including ensuring self sufficiency for
water, energy, food and environmental hygiene.