Regenerative ecological design

Research and Analysis Report

Location: Aranya Sangharama Buddhist Monastery, Rampur Gainda, Haryana

Area: 28.148 Acres

Site_

Yamunanagar district map

with location of the site.

Google map link

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 Project location:
A
Site Area: 28.148 acres

Google map link

Village: Rampur Gainda, Kathgarh

Tehsil: Bilaspur

District: Yamunanagar

Google Coordinates:

Latitude: 30°26'29.6"N

Longitude: 77°21'16.3"E

GPS: 30.441924582876936,
77.35446547278544

B Altitude - lowest point: 1177

ft/359 mt

Highest point: 1354 ft/413 mt

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Project Introduction:
The site is located between the Shivalik foothills and the Yamuna floodplains at 359 mt/1177 ft altitude. A rivulet passes through the
site, which further meets the tributary of the River Som in the west. This stream is flowing from a water reservoir that is situated in the
Northeast at about 280 m (aerial distance). Excess water from the check dam situated at about 380 m, 1246 ft altitude from the site in
the Northeast direction is draining into the rivulet. In recent years of heavy rains, another water reservoir spread over about 22,200 m²
has breached during the monsoon, and that has caused major erosion on the rivulet bank by a sudden influx of water. As observed by
the residents of the monastery site, banks of the rivulet are getting eroded, widening the course of this stream and washing away the
stable, fertile banks. This phenomenon is observed at several points on the site. The lower slopes of the site have clay soil on the
southern boundary where the habitation zone and parking are located. The boundary has certain seasonal water drainage channels
disturbed by built structures (i.e., roads, embankments), and the water is being clogged in the southeast corner, which is the current
parking area. A vegetation cover of the native forest has been lost as the land has been occupied under conventional farming in the
past decades. Due to this, the influx of rainwater during monsoon causes flash floods, and summers are completely dry.

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Part of the rivulet bank

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Major challenges and agenda of the project:

1. Soil Erosion: Prevent rainwater from eroding the topsoil and seasonal stream from eroding the rivulet banks.
2. Heavy water run off: Slow down the rainwater flow.
3. Deforestation: Increase green cover.
4. Flash floods and Drought: Build moisture-holding capacity of the soil and harvest rainwater.

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 Index:
1. Site Location………………………..…8
2. Topography & Geology…..…….9
3. Climate………………………………….13
4. Sun path………………………………..32
5. Water……………………………………..36
6. Ecology………………………………….42
7. Soil………………………………………….46
8. Calamities / Hazards………….49
9. Good times…………………………..54
CARE FOR EARTH (its systems and all its species)
10. Majorly affected areas..……..68
CARE FOR PEOPLE (food, habitat and economy)
11. Proposed interventions ……..62
RETURN OF SURPLUS - FAIR SHARE

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Distances from major
cities/towns:
Chandigarh : 83 km

Ambala - 67 km

Yamuna nagar - 39 km

Ponta sahib - 37 km

Nahan - 41 km

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TOPOGRAPHY & GEOLOGY

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Site elevation
lowest point: 1177 ft/359 mt

Highest point: 1354 ft/413 mt

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 Monastery site area in Haryana is located
within the foothills of the Shivalik Hills and
the Bhabar area, characterized by
Quaternary deposits of the Indo-Gangetic
plains. Geologically, the area is part of the
larger geological framework of Haryana,
which includes Precambrian rocks of the
Aravali Mountains and Tertiary rocks of the
Himalayas.

Site is located on Kandi Belt that is a

dissected rolling plain, transitional tract
between Shivaliks hills and alluvial plains. It
is about 25 km wide and elevation varies
between 250 and 375 m AMSL

The Kandi belt is a foothill region

associated with the Shivalik range found in
parts of northwestern India, like Himachal
Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, and
Haryana. The Kandi belt is a part of the
Shivalik hills and is characterized by its
undulating terrain, bouldery soils, and
frequent exposure to overland flow.

The Adi Badri area features the Som river,

which is considered by some to follow the
site course of the Rig Vedic Saraswati river.

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The amount of water that
percolates into the ground is
greatly influenced by slopes.
Therefore, steep slopes are an
expression of significant
surface runoff, and gentle
slopes are an expression of
significant percolation of water.

Major drainages:
Basin - Ganga
Sub-Basin - Yamuna

site

Elevation map
Climate

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The climate of Yamuna Nagar district can be classified as subtropical monsoon, mild & dry winter, hot summer and
sub-humid which is mainly dry with hot summer and cold winter except during monsoon season when moist air of oceanic
origin penetrates into the district. There are four seasons in a year. The hot weather season starts from mid March to last
week of the June followed by the southwest monsoon which lasts up to September. The transition period from September to
November forms the post monsoon season. The winter season starts late in November and remains up to first week of
March.

The normal annual rainfall of the district is 1440 mm, which is unevenly distributed over the area in 43 days. The south west
monsoon sets in from last week of June and withdraws in end of September, contributed about 81% of annual rainfall. July
and August are the wettest months. Rest 19% rainfall is received during non-monsoon period in the wake of western
disturbances and thunderstorms.

Reference

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 Climate type:
Cwa - Monsoon-influenced
humid subtropical climate

C: Temperate
w:Dry Winter
a: Hot summer
site

Understanding: In essence, the

Cwa climate is a modified form of
the humid subtropical climate,
primarily found in Asia, where the
monsoon system brings a distinct
dry winter season.

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Similar climate areas: Tanzania, Zambia in Africa; Bhubaneswar, Coimbatore in India; Haikou in China

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Temperature :
Certain data also shows that
The maximum temperature
recorded in the district is 47.2°C
with 0°C as the lowest recorded
temperature.

The temperature varies from 46

degree in summer to 7 degree
in winter.

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Hottest months:
April to July

Coldest months:
December, January

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Temperature and cloudy weather
leads to miserable humidity in the
air during monsoon months.

Month of July, August and

september are warm and humid
with 80 to 90% humidity.

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The highest recorded temperature
in Yamunanagar district is 47.9
degree celsius.

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The highest rain recorded in Adi Badri, Haryana was 2220 mm in the year 2010. This is within the monsoon season (June 1st to September 30th).

The average rainfall in the region is 1440 mm. The lowest rainfall recorded was 1019 mm in 2009. Reference
Rainy days during monsoon
months:

June - 8
July - 20
August - 20
September - 11

Normal Annual Rainfall - 1107

mm

Normal monsoon Rainfall - 898

mm

The highest rainfall recorded in

Yamunanagar district, specifically
in the area of Adi Badri, was 83.5
mm in a single day on Jul 09,
2023

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October, November and
December have the most clear
days throughout the month.

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Month of May and June are
windiest along with
thunderstorms and rains.

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Wind direction in various seasons:

Fall(sept, october, november):

W, E

Winter (december, january,

february): N,W,E

Spring(march, april, may): W,N,E

Summer(june, july, august): W, S,

E

Annual: major direction of wind is

W, N

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As per observed wind speed in
June, 2024 there was a Moderate
wind with dust storms and
in December, 2024 there was a
chilly light Breeze.

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Humidity is observed throughout
the year with +75% in monsoon
months with cloudy days from
July to September.

Ventilation should be amplified

during these months.

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VERY HIGH UV
radiation occurs
in May.

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Visibility is good almost
throughout the year except during
monsoon months - July, Aust and
September.

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Understanding of Climate

Overall, summer months are sweltering hot yet windy times of the month offer some relief with occasional rain showers. Thunderstorms
are common during pre-monsoon months. Monsoon brings heavy rains, occasionally continuing for days. Heavy rainy days bring all
outdoor activities to a halt in the areas as the river and rivulets get flooded for few hours to a couple of days. Winter brings clear sky,
sunny days and some days come with chilly breeze.

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Sun Path

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Understanding of Sun path helps
in designing buildings to invite
winter sun for warmth and
provide shed from summer sun
to extend cooler indoor
temperature during the day time.

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WATER

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Groundwater status:
● The ground water exploration in the district reveals that clay group of formations dominates over the sand group in the district
area. Ground water in the district occurs in the alluvium under water table and semi-confined to confined conditions. These
aquifers consist of sand, silt, gravels and kankar associated with clay and form highly potential aquifers. In alluvium, the
permeable granular zones comprise fine to medium grained sand and occasionally coarse sand and gravel. Their lateral and as
well as vertical extent is extensive. In Kandi belt, boulders cobbles and pebbles, constitutes the major aquifer horizon.
● In Kandi areas, the shallow aquifers are isolated lenses embedded in clay beds whereas aquifers in alluvial areas occur on
regional scale and have pinching and swelling disposition and are quite extensive in nature. These aquifers generally consists
sands (fine to coarse grained) and gravels and are often intercepted by clay and kankar horizons. These aquifers are under
unconfined to semi-confined conditions and support a large number of shallow tube wells within the depth of 50m only. The
discharge of these tubewells varies between 100 lpm and 500 lpm for moderate tubewells.
● The groundwater of the district is alkaline in nature and is of low to medium salinity.
● Ground water occurring in the shallow aquifer is by and large, fresh and potable. All chemical parameters are within the
permissible limits for safe drinking waters set by BIS except nitrate at Bilaspur and Mustafabad where its values are 60 mg/l and
89 mg/l respectively, iron at Sabri (2.74mg/l) and Rasulpur (8.47mg/l) and arsenic at Shadipur (0.0152 mg/l).
● The kandi belt underlain by the colluviums of boulders, pebbles, cobbles mixed with clay is an area having very high permeability
and porosity and thus very good scope for ground water recharge. This area is already the natural recharge area for aquifers
down slope. In kandi belt of district, ground water recharge is feasible by various methods such as flooding, percolation tanks,
contour bunding and tanks and ponds. In alluvial (plain) areas, various surface methods for artificial recharge are flooding, ditch
and furrow, stream augmentation. Ground water recharge through injection wells, recharge pit and recharge shaft are various
sub-surface methods for the plain area.

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 RECOMMENDATIONS:

● There are numerous streams through Kandi belt, which carry a lot of water during monsoon season. The rainwater can be
collected in existing tanks/ponds and natural depressions and artificial surface reservoir to enhance the groundwater recharge.
● Excessive irrigation in upper reaches may lead to water level rise in downstream areas and may cause water logging in these
areas.
● Construction of shallow tube wells in areas along canals which have shallow water level and rising water level trends can help in
augmenting irrigation and preventing rising water levels along canals
● The areas having heavy water level decline need to be mapped, people made aware of adopting conjunctive use of surface and
groundwater, rain water harvesting and artificial recharge measures.

… from Central Ground Water Board report Read more

 Major ridges and valleys in the
north of the site that drains the
rain water through a rivulet
passing through the site.

Ridge
Valley

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 There are two major water
reservoirs created in the valley -
First reservoir is spread in about
50,000 sq mt area. Second one is
spread in about 4,000 sq mt area.

Water catchment
area of Dam
First reservoir rainwater
21,02,519 sq mt catchment during monsoon:

21,02,519 sq mt x 898 mm x 0.4

= 75,52,24,824 ltr

Maximum rainfall In a single day:

21,02,519 sq mt x 83 mm x 0.4 =
6,98,03,630 ltr

Second reservoir rainwater

Water catchment area
catchment during monsoon:
for water reservoir
66,455 sq mt 66,455 sq mt x 898 mm x 0.4 =
2,38,70,636 ltr
Site watershed
6,20,749 sq mt Ridge Maximum rainfall In a single day:
Valley
66,455 sq mt x 83 mm x 0.4 =
22,06,306 ltr 40
Site catchment during monsoon:

6,20,749 sq mt x 898 mm x 0.4 =

22,29,73,040 ltr

Maximum rainfall In a single day:

6,20,749 sq mt x 83 mm x 0.4 =
2,06,08,866 ltr

Ridge
Valley
ECOLOGY

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Flora

● The Adi Badri area in Bilaspur, Haryana, features primarily Tropical Dry Deciduous forests, with a mix
of hardwoods like Chhall (Anogeissus latifolius), Khir (Acacia catechu), and Jhingan (Lannea
coromandel). These forests are located in the foothills of the Shivalik Hills. Additionally, the area also
has some Tropical Moist Deciduous forests.
● These forests are characterized by trees that shed their leaves during the dry season.

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Fauna

Corresponding to the considerable diversity of habitat types, the wild animals of Kalesar national park -
located at the distance of 115 km from site - show a good variety of species.
Although numbers are rather low at present. Among herbivores Sambhar is common. Chital is another
common herbivore found in open grassy patches and fire lines. Barking deer is found especially in forest
areas with ample ground cover. The Goral is found in the kalesar park occupying a specialized niche on the
relatively bare rocky slope at the top of Shiwalik ridges.

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SOIL

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These are loamy sand to sandy loam deep, excessively or well-drained, non-saline, non-alkali. These soils
are placed under the associations of transitional tract between Siwaliks hills and alluvial plains.

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Site soil data - Work under progress

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CALAMITIES / HAZARDS

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Site is prone to various natural calamities listed below.

● Earthquake
● Flood
● Forest fire
● Drought
● Landslides
● Extreme Temperature
● Lightening, Hailstorm & Cloud Burst

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Site.

Seismic Risk
High risk of damage - Zone IV

The fact that Yamunanagar

is in Zone IV indicates that it
is prone to earthquakes with
a moderate to high
intensity. This means that
structures and infrastructure
in the area could experience
considerable damage in the
event of a significant
earthquake.

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site

Forest fire:
Highly fire prone zone

Northern boundary of the site is

adjacent to the native Sal and
Khair forests and patches of
grass lands which is prone to
catching a forest fire during
summer months as the the
temperature sore to 40 °C or more
during the months of May and
June.

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Flood Risk:
Whenever there are heavy rains, large areas of the Yamunanagar district are affected by heavy discharge in the catchment areas of Himachal
Pradesh.

Drought:

Loss of forest cover and over exploitation of groundwater resource in the lower plains lead to dry period during summers. There are water reservoirs
in the surrounding areas of site which has been filled up with silt, causing scarcity of water during summers and flash floods during rainy days.

Landslides:
Hilly areas with sandy and rocky soils of bhabhar region with no vegetation cover are prone to landslides during heavy rains.

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 Site is located at the distance of 3 km from Adi badri temple.
Adi Badri, located in the Barkot Range, Uttarakhand, is a place
of significant religious and historical importance. It's a
revered site within the Panch Badri pilgrimage circuit and is
believed to be where Ved Vyasa wrote the Bhagavata Purana
and where the Pandavas stayed during their exile.

The Adi Badri Temple Complex, featuring Nagara style

architecture, is a testament to the region's spiritual and
cultural heritage. Adi Badri has a Sarasvati kund (pond) for
the worship of the Sarasvati river, highlighting its connection
to Vedic traditions.

GOOD TIMES Based on the multiple archaeological excavations undertaken

here, archaeologists have sent the proposal to Archaeological
Survey of India (ASI) to include this site in the list of protected
heritage site.
& There are remains of many Buddhist stupas and monasteries
near the confluence of rivers Som and Saraswati in Adi
Badari. These stupas and monasteries, built of hard bricks,
HISTORICAL are about 1500–2000 years old.

Early october to November is the best time to visit this area

SIGNIFICANCE with comfortable weather and clear sky.

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Majorly affected areas on site
Due to heavy rainwater runoff

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 First turn

Second turn
Embankment

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Before breach

After breach
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September, 2011

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December, 2023

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 There are 5 water reservoirs
within the upper slopes of
the site which has been
created. These reservoirs
excess water flow is not
planned appropriately.
Excess rainwater flows into
Erosion Gully the nearby valleys, creating
eroded gullies.

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Proposed Interventions
Pre-monsoon, 2025

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Contour swales - To allow
rainwater to percolate
into the soil and to slow
down the rainwater
runoff.

Keyline swale - To collect

and allow rainwater to
percolate at the base of
the hill and to channelise
access water.

Drains - To drain excess

rain water from existing
water reservoirs. Drains
to be constructed with
stone masonry.

Half-moon swale - To
allow rain water to
percolate and irrigate
planted trees.

Dry stone masonry

construction - To prevent
further soil erosion and
landslide at majorly
affected areas on site.
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Half-moon swale Contour swale Drain
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 Submitted by,

[email protected]