The Uyyakondan is an irrigation canal that was built almost 1000 years ago. It flows through the heart of the city, Trichy. Like most urban water bodies in India, the canal has been affected by unscrupulous dumping of sewage water and solid waste over the years. In this context, a group of citizens came together under the banner ‘Citizens For Uyyakondan’ (CFU) to raise awareness and actively engage in transforming the canal. Over four years since their inception, they have initiated several community awareness programs, canal-bank cleaning drives, along with lobbying the city corporation for better projects along the canal. 

The Uyyakondan canal runs through some of the dense and poor neighborhoods in the city. These neighborhoods often lack quality outdoor leisure spaces, proper waste management facilities, or community infrastructure. The current project, ‘Trichy Commons Network’ is being proposed as a pilot project. It includes a collective waste management facility, community spaces for co-learning & co-production, and appropriating unused spaces as spaces for leisure. The goal is to test the setup as a pilot that could be repeated in other spots in the denser neighborhoods along the canal. The project aims to cultivate and encourage civic engagement, social and economic progress, and the culture of sharing while tackling the issues that affect the canal - solid waste and sewage dumping and the apathy of the citizens towards the canal.

The Duraisamipuram neighborhood which lies along the canal is densely packed & lacks quality outdoor spaces or civic facilities. The canal has become something to be avoided due to sewage water & household solid wastes dumped into it. A lack of a proper waste management system, awareness, and apathy towards the canal amongst the residents add to the problem. Covid19 and the lockdowns that followed showed the importance of quality outdoor spaces in dense urban communities. Furthermore, school closures during lockdowns have left behind many children who lack remote learning facilities. 

The project initially started as a ‘Miyawaki’ forest plantation drive to protect the canal bank from misuse. The scope was extended as part of the Charles Correa Foundation's call for neighborhood initiatives to include a community center with waste management & other facilities. Through the local waste management center, the project aims to increase awareness, implement household-level waste segregation, & provide opportunities for recycling & reuse. The community center provides space for gathering which can be used as a local study center. A shared library of school textbooks & others along with a dedicated WiFi for students is proposed to support them through remote learning. A small workshop with shared tools could function as a local Fablab or a skills development center. 

The project is supposed to be developed in incremental stages not only for practical reasons but also to develop trust, collective ownership within the community, and to learn and adapt through the process.

The project is initiated & coordinated by the Citizens For Uyyakondan (CFU). CFU emerged as a citizen-organized platform that brought together common people & organizations in raising awareness, restoring, & reviving the Uyyakondan canal that runs through the city. They have organized awareness campaigns on waste management, quality public space along the city’s water bodies, & weekly canal-bank cleaning drives since their inception. CFU is represented by Mr. Vijaykumar Sengottuvelan & Mr. Kapilan Chandranesan. Vijaykumar, a founder member of CFU, is an architect & is also the director of the C.A.R.E. School of Architecture. He represents & coordinates the project with the various stakeholders & the city corporation. Kapilan is an architect based in Trichy and Rotterdam who started collaborating with the organisation through this project.


Shine Treechy is a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) operating in Trichy to promote tree plantation & urban afforestation programs. They were instrumental in the Miyawaki forest plantation along the canal bank and other greening strategies. Mr. Manoj Dharmar, a founder member of the organization, coordinates with the rest of the team


The Duraisamipuram neighborhood has several religious institutions including the St.Anthony’s church. The priest of St.Anthony’s church, Fr. Paneer Selvam has been instrumental in mediating between the community & the core team. He has also encouraged the community youth to volunteer in the project along with participating & pledging to install a Rain Water Harvesting system within the church premises.