Sustainable Landscaping in Belavali, Badlapur.

Landscape in Belavali should be able to take a flood and come back. We plant natives that tolerate wet soil, shape rain gardens and swales that hold rainwater on site, and use permeable surfaces that let rain into the ground. Treated STP water keeps it going through the summer. The outcome is a landscape that costs less to keep and does not need replanting after every heavy monsoon.

Belavali lies in Badlapur West, on lower ground towards the Ulhas as the river passes the town. It grew from a village into a residential area of mid-rise buildings, and new layouts continue to rise on fields that were cultivated within living memory. The river is close, and in heavy monsoons its water has reached streets and ground floors, most memorably in the floods of July 2019. Old trees still line village roads and field boundaries. For many families here, the riverbank is the nearest open ground, used for walks and, too often, for dumping.