Lives of the Lakes: Indigenous Hydrological Resilience in Valsad District

This case study by the Global Resilience Partnership describes the indigenous ecological knowledge and hydrological resilience of the Dubla tribe in Sarodhi, Valsad district, Gujarat. It highlights the impact of colonization and industrialization on the community and details the efforts of Aranya Design Studio to document and preserve traditional knowledge through educational initiatives with local students.

• The Dubla people of Sarodhi possess extensive ecological knowledge of local flora, such as the aakhdo plant, which is used for treating leprosy, snake bites, tumors, intestinal worms, and various skin diseases, as well as for culinary purposes.
• Colonization and the plundering of natural teak forests led to the displacement of the Dubla tribe, the loss of their livelihoods, and a transition from independence to becoming agricultural laborers on privately owned orchards.
• In the region near Vapi, lakes function as resilience systems against drought and flood by storing monsoon rain and releasing it slowly into the soil, while providing wild food and medicinal plants. However, these ecosystems are currently being destroyed by sewage release and water extraction caused by rapid urbanization.
• Aranya Design Studio has collaborated with educators from three local government schools to develop a zine and activity book. This initiative encourages students to archive their community's collective knowledge and stories of landscapes while learning scientific methods to study hydrology, soils, and plants.

APA

Global Resilience Partnership (2023). Lives of the Lakes: Indigenous Hydrological Resilience in Valsad District. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/lives-of-the-lakes-indigenous-hydrological-resilience-in-valsad-district/

Chicago

Global Resilience Partnership. Lives of the Lakes: Indigenous Hydrological Resilience in Valsad District. 2023. https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/lives-of-the-lakes-indigenous-hydrological-resilience-in-valsad-district/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Resilience Partnership |title=Lives of the Lakes: Indigenous Hydrological Resilience in Valsad District |date=24 May 2023 |url=https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/lives-of-the-lakes-indigenous-hydrological-resilience-in-valsad-district/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalresiliencepartnership2023lives, author = {{Global Resilience Partnership}}, title = {{Lives of the Lakes: Indigenous Hydrological Resilience in Valsad District}}, institution = {Global Resilience Partnership}, year = {2023}, month = may, url = {https://www.globalresiliencepartnership.org/lives-of-the-lakes-indigenous-hydrological-resilience-in-valsad-district/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }