Sunday, October 10, 2010

Lavasa



The HCC Group, builders of Lavasa township, claim in an ad that they've turned the area greener. Click on the images and see them at higher resolution. You will notice that the settlement is built around a lake created by a dam. In the 2007 image, the lake level is low, and there's no water streaming in, or collected in the area beyond the dam. In the 2010 image, there's water everywhere. The 'before' picture appears to have been taken in high summer, and the 'after' one at the end of a very wet quarter.
The connection between extra greenery and the construction of hundreds of concrete tower blocks remains unproven.

2 comments:

Mukul said...

My problem with Lavasa is that besides all the issues of retaining river water to make the town picturesque, it is so completely wannabe - Swiss style chalets that are poorly contructed, an American highway style diner where they serve with overpriced food while you listen to 'Que sera sera'and everything that would make the place look 'phoren' to attract our upwardly mobile middle class.

Dr. Abhijeet L. Wahegaonkar said...

Hi Girish, I accidently stumbled upon your blog & I am glad I did! I concede that this picture might have been taken during the monsoons. In fact I was very surprised about the one page clarification given by the Lavasa Corporation a couple of months ago regarding the myths, environmental issues & political clout surrounding the project & they had printed the same pics. I am sure the guys at Lavasa Corp. vehemently believe that people at large are blind!!