Project
Lost Water! Remainscape?

Project Leads
Shanmugapriya T, Project Director, Indian Institute of Technology (ISM) Dhanbad
Deborah Sutton, Principal Investigator, Lancaster University

Project URL
https://shanmugapriya.com/waterscarcity/instruction.php

Project Reviewers
Deena Larsen, Electronic Literature Writer
Ram Prakash D, University of Delhi

Project Overview

Shanmugapriya T

Lost Water! Remainscape? (LWR) is a digital literary project sponsored by AHRC at Lancaster University, UK, as part of "Digital Innovation in Water Scarcity in Coimbatore." This project aims to visualize water scarcity issues in Coimbatore, Southern India, which has faced persistent water stress and severe droughts for four decades due to climate change and urbanization. LWR draws from archival maps, historical archives, and oral narratives to portray Coimbatore's waterscape through poetry, text (in English and Tamil), digital elements, videos, and images. Digital features like interactivity, kinetic texts, hypertexts, and gaming elements were incorporated using Blender, Adobe Animate CC, CSS, JQuery, and HTML. Jagadeesh authored the poetry in Tamil, while Shanmugapriya T crafted the details in both Tamil and English, including the translation of Tamil poetry into English. Mohana Priya and Dharan Raj provided technical support for the project's development.

LWR has four sections: “Introduction,” “Tank,” “River,” and “Photo Animation.” The first section introduces the partners of the project. The second section, “Tank,” introduces the history of water tanks and their engineering system in the past. It offers information such as how the tanks were built during the Karikala Chola period in the 9th century to store surplus water and to avoid flooding of Noyyal River in the region, showcasing the breathtaking engineering techniques that kept the groundwater level high. The poetry in this section stimulates the metaphorical exploration of the connection between tanks and local people.

“Tank” comprises four sub-sections, each integrating digital literary elements such as creepers, banana leaves, coconut tree leaves, and clouds, augmented by semiotic exploration. This design necessitates engagement from the player/reader to unveil the concealed text behind these elements. Following the completion of each section, a brief tour video showcasing tanks constructed along the Noyyal River is presented. This allows users to contemplate their previous experiences within the narrative.

The third section, “River,” encapsulates the essence of flowing water, fish, butterflies, and trees. It depicts the picturesque Noyyal River of Coimbatore as it was in historical times. The animation serves as a retrospective journey, while the poetry evokes emotions and offers a fresh perspective on the waterscape through a combination of visual imagery and textual narrative. This section provides intriguing insights into both the current and past conditions of rivers and tanks in the region.

The “River” section comprises three sub-sections. Within this segment, the digital literary components incorporate straightforward game mechanics that involve interaction with natural objects such as coconuts, coconut tanks, and feathers. Participants are required to interact with these elements to unlock access to the accompanying textual content. A tour of the river featuring close-up footage of butterflies and fish follows each segment.

The concluding “Photo Animation” segment presents the current state of water bodies in Coimbatore with contextual details conveyed through bubbles. Viewers can interact with the bubbles to examine associated images and read accompanying text gathered during field visits to water bodies in the region.

Project Review

Deena Larsen and Ram Prakash D

In Tamil Nadu, a southern Indian state, people’s connection with water is ancient, intimate, and spiritual. Small reservoirs, or “tanks,” are collectively owned, with revered village elders guarding them. These tanks are not only disappearing, but they are also not being maintained — and thus, the lifeblood sustaining these villages is draining into the ocean.

Lost Water! Remainscape? by Shanmuga Priya is a digital humanities project at Lancaster University, UK, as part of Digital Innovation in Water Scarcity in Coimbatore. This project aims to visualize water scarcity issues in Coimbatore, in southern India, which has faced persistent water stress and severe droughts for four decades. Lost Water! Remainscape? is one element of these larger efforts.

The work is made up of four sections — “Introduction,” “Tank,” “River,” and “Photo Animation.” The introduction provides project credits and information in Tamil and English. We thank the authors and sponsors for this multilingual work addressing multiple global audiences, making it accessible to the very people impacted by water scarcity in Tamil Nadu.

The “Tank” section first draws users into clear water hyacinth tangles to read the obscured text metaphorically representing the water bodies enshrouded by this invasive plant. This not only engages the user, but subtly explains a looming threat. Users then dive into water’s history as a sacred element of Kudimaramattu, maintaining these water places as a sacred duty.

Deena: I appreciate information about past water management strategies from my perspective as a writer in Reclamation, a U.S. Federal agency also tasked with the sacred duty of protecting water. I love and shared these water management principles, particularly that new tanks should not affect water distribution as a historical value. Hooray!

Ram: Growing up in Tamil Nadu, I appreciate the conviction behind this work as it unearthed the information about ancient tanks that have been encroached upon or dried up. It shook my conscience when I came across a few government structures which we use daily that were constructed on erstwhile water bodies.

The “River” section starts with an animation of rain and water filling the rivers that feed the tanks after a monsoon. After users gather coconuts grown along the riverbank or catch water drops in coconut halves, they receive a poem. As they play, the motion of water and trees lets them feel a part of the community, seeing the digital river.

Deena: While I appreciate interacting with the work to enjoy the creator’s labor, as someone with mobility difficulties, this was frustrating, and I have to confess that I couldn’t perform the tasks. A more accessible version would be a fantastic follow-up.

Ram: The animations are realistic portrayals of the lush green coconut groves on the banks of River Noyyal.

The “Photo Animation” section features floating colored spheres that, when opened, yield pictures of modern tanks and water issues.

Deena: Going through these bubbles provides a random experience — like walking through the area, you never know what you are going to encounter next. I loved visiting this land and people from afar.

Ram: The project lead us into a vast ground. These recent pictures serve as a living document to convey the plight of those people and the water bodies. Popping bubbles randomly was delightful as they transported us to a panoply of issues, shedding light on the interaction of people with the spaces. Finding these on a map would provide more perspective and be a fine addition to this sensitive and lovely playthrough of vital issues.

Through its many parts and inventive use of multimodality, Lost Water! Remainscape? is a clarion call to preserve these dying water bodies facing threats from rapid urbanization and climate change.