The Relational Materiality of Groundwater

Area of Science:

• Hydrogeology
• Urban Studies
• Environmental Social Science

Background:

• Groundwater is essential for urban life, existing as a complex subterranean environment.
• Understanding groundwater's materiality is crucial for urban sustainability and management.
• Chennai, India, faces challenges in managing groundwater amidst urban development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore diverse human perceptions and interventions concerning groundwater materiality in Chennai.
• To analyze how urban projects, like the Chennai Metro Rail, shape understandings of groundwater.
• To propose a relational theory of groundwater materiality based on dynamic states.

Main Methods:

• Case study of the Chennai Metro Rail construction project.
• Analysis of disciplinary cultures of representation in engineering and planning.
• Examination of concepts like strata, porosity, and pressure in relation to groundwater.
• Qualitative exploration of human-groundwater interactions.

Main Results:

• Groundwater is perceived and intervened in multiple, contradictory ways.
• The Chennai Metro Rail project highlights groundwater as a dynamic system in balance and unrest.
• Established concepts often objectify groundwater, overlooking its active role.
• Groundwater is experienced as a vital being, not just an objective resource.

Conclusions:

• A relational theory of groundwater materiality, emphasizing "leaking" over "bordering," better captures its dynamic nature.
• This perspective acknowledges shared dynamic states between human and material life.
• Rethinking groundwater as an active being challenges conventional knowledge and management approaches.