Though the phenomenon of climate change was communicated to the community, it was also important to understand climate change from the standpoint of the community. Prior exercises like photovoice and FGDs were conducted to orient the community towards the phenomenon of climate change.
Focus Group Discussions were organized with men and women residing in Ghata village and Gautampuri Colony to understand the historical trajectory of water use in the village as well as the daily usage, storage, and collection patterns of water.
To better illustrate the harmful effects of climate change surrounding water issues in the daily life of the community, the facilitators initiated a photovoice activity. Photovoice is a visual research methodology undertaken by the community to help them to document, reflect upon, and communicate issues of concern while stimulating social change.
The discussion with adolescents in the Gautampuri community took place in two phases, separately with the boys and separately with the girls (due to different school shifts). The adolescents in the community were familiar with the changes which the environment has been undergoing.
Ghata is an 1100-year-old village settlement situated in Sector 55 of Gurugram and is located 30 kms away from New Delhi. An important commercial hub in North India, Gurugram (formerly known as Gurgaon) has undergone rapid pace of urbanization to accommodate the deluge of professionals waiting to exploit the economic opportunities that the city has to offer.
A community-university interaction was organized to facilitate the interaction of community members with the staff and faculty of Sushant University. The debriefing session at Sushant university targeted community - academia interaction to facilitate understanding of how climate change is affecting communities in the short and long run.
As part of the ‘Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Planning Water Security In Low-Income Urban Neighbourhoods Through Co-Creation’, PRIA is undertaking a co-creation process in two urban settlements in Gurugram and Delhi – Ghata and Gautampuri.
