claims of water

A site is explored from a junction at the mid-point from where two paths lead us in two directions- the north and the south. The site is a thin strip of land built up by various bund segregating ponds and other smaller water bodies, all being surrounded by the large, vast backwaters.

Moving south takes us to the settlement of Puttankari, which along the path is surrounded by water bodies, from small ponds to larger backwaters.

Moving north takes us to the settlement of Anjilithara, where along the path are backwaters on either side.

Going south revealed sparsely populated houses, with a series of fish cultivation ponds to one side,and a vast backwater on the other. The landscape and density of vegetation gradually changed as we made our way further south, moving from largely coconut trees on either side, to trees with larger foliage along with dense bushes coming along the path.

The ground materiality changed from asphalt roads and hard soil to dirt paths, and in areas which are relatively low lying, damp soil and wetlands due to the regular ingress and egress of water. Some areas along the path have been built up using dredged sand from the water bodies beside, and as a result have a very fine and sandy texture to it. This was found in the southernmost part of the site, beside the church.

The bridges crossed are sites of fishing activity, due to the ease of receiving catch in the flowing currents of the changing tides. A few of the larger Chinese fishing nets can also be found along the path.

The path leading north has little to no foliage as we walk along the dirt bund to reach the main settlement. One side of the bund are the large backwaters, whereas to the other are unmaintained cultivation ponds with stagnant water and water lilies. Upon reaching the settlement, we found ourselves in a junction, moving left, to the west, took us to the fishermen’s settlement by the nets, and moving right, to the east took us to the church, from where another junction branches a road going further north. This road is paved, and we come across settlements distinctively different from those seen in the south

The fisheries here were at larger scales, taking place in the open backwaters. The residences in the settlement are also of larger scale than those seen in the south which suggests a relation between the scale of fishing in the locale, and the economy of the immediate settlement.