"The motivation behind my thesis grew from a deeply personal place rather than just academic interest." For IHS alumna Varsha Jeyaseelan growing up in Chennai, the issue of water scarcity was never a distant headline - it was woven into the fabric of daily life. In this article, Varsha reflects on her thesis research, conducted as part of the Thesis Research Atelier Programme of IHS. By prioritising the lived experiences of resettled communities in Perumbakkam, India, the research generated insights aimed at fostering inclusive urban development and providing practical support for more equitable urban development and resettlement policies.
From personal experience to research: the roots of a thesis
Varsha Jeyaseelan graduated from the Urban Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change Master track at IHS in 2024. Her thesis research was conducted as part of the institute's Thesis Research Atelier Programme – Chennai, supervised by Dr Maartje van Eerd, in collaboration with local partners: Information and Resource Centre for Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC) and Anna University, under the C4D Urban Living lab initiative.
"I believe, the true seed for this research was planted during a field assignment in my undergraduate years, when I visited various resettlement sites around the city." When asked what made her choose this topic, Varsha shared that she saw firsthand how families uprooted by floods or 'city beautification' projects had been placed in high-rise buildings that, on the surface, symbolised progress but were surrounded by failing infrastructure.
"What struck me most during these visits was a recurring sentiment among residents: they had been moved for their safety, yet their voices went unheard in decisions that profoundly shaped their lives."
At the time, she didn’t have the language or frameworks to make sense of what she was witnessing, but those experiences lingered with her. When the time for her postgraduate research came, she returned to these questions, this time at Perumbakkam, another major resettlement site. "Now, I wasn’t just a visitor; I was listening and connecting the dots." The irregular water supply there wasn’t simply a technical glitch; it was a daily crisis met mostly with silence. Varsha realised that water scarcity was a doorway into understanding deeper issues of vulnerability, resilience, and neglect on the urban margins. So, the idea for her research didn’t arrive all at once. It unfolded gradually, from a concern about water to a deeper reckoning with what resettlement really does to people’s lives. In Perumbakkam, she didn’t just find a water crisis.
"I found a window into vulnerability, a portrait of survival in the margins of a city that’s still learning how to care for its people. That’s the story, and the people, I wanted my research to centre."
Navigating trust and reality in the field
"Researching in Perumbakkam was both an emotional and intellectual rollercoaster." Varsha spent six intense weeks navigating not just the narrow staircases and half-lit corridors of the buildings, but also the complex realities behind each door. It quickly became clear that her work couldn’t just be about data collection; it had to be about earning trust and listening deeply at the delicate intersections of people’s lives. "From the outset, I was acutely aware that the residents of Perumbakkam had already been surveyed repeatedly by various agencies, often with little visible change resulting from those efforts. "This history meant that many people felt research fatigue or skepticism toward yet another researcher with questions.
"To build the trust that was missing, I made a conscious decision: I decided to partner with IRCDUC, a local NGO that had already built strong ties in Perumbakkam through their work on housing and infrastructure issues. This partnership was crucial."
IRCDUC’s existing relationships gave Varasha's work credibility and allowed her to approach the community respectfully, as someone genuinely interested in their perspectives rather than just extracting information. With IRCDUC’s support, she formed a small research support group of residents willing to guide, connect, and occasionally challenge her.
Stories that shifted perspectives
"So many moments from my fieldwork have stayed with me, but a few stories in particular reshaped how I understood water scarcity in Perumbakkam." One conversation that stood out for Varsha was with a woman in her 50s who ran a tiny grocery shop out of her home. When she asked about water access, the woman didn’t start with complaints about scarcity. Instead, she spoke about her children, how the rhythm of their daily life revolved completely around the unpredictable schedule of the water supply. “When water comes, we live. When it doesn’t, we adjust,” she said. That quiet resilience struck Varsha deeply; it reframed water not as a simple resource, but as the clock by which her entire household moved.
Another moment came from a single mother shared that she sometimes skipped meals so her children would have enough clean water to drink. In that moment, water wasn’t just about comfort or convenience; it was about sacrifice and survival. There was another woman who showed her their cracked, leaking kitchen and asked, “Is this what they meant by safer housing?” That question echoed the gap between official narratives of “rehabilitation” and the daily reality residents faced.
"In almost every conversation, it became clear that water in Perumbakkam is much more than a basic need: it is a currency, a constraint, and often a form of control."
Rethinking resettlement: key lessons for urban planning
Urban planning must go beyond building walls and roofs. In Perumbakkam, resettlement meant moving people out of flood-prone slums, but into areas with broken infrastructure, inadequate water supply, and limited institutional support. The intention was protection; the outcome was isolation.
"The most urgent takeaway is this: resettlement is not a success if it trades safety for survival."
Varsha shares that the current model often treats water as a commodity and housing as a mere transaction. But for displaced communities, water isn’t just a basic resource—it’s the foundation of dignity, health, and a sense of belonging. And lastly, inclusion can’t be a postscript or afterthought. Urban planners and policymakers must engage communities as co-creators, not just recipients of development. "If you don’t build with them, you risk building against them, perpetuating marginalisation instead of addressing it."
The research documentary
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Upon completion of the research, preliminary insights were presented at two major international conferences in 2025: the Migration and Societal Change Conference 2025 at Utrecht University in June, and the Environmental & Climate Mobilities Network 2025 Conference in Bonn, Germany, in July.
The research was closely linked to the ongoing work of IRCDUC and PhD researchers at IHS/Anna University, particularly projects focusing on “access to information and digital inclusion in resettlement.”
