Water management encompasses a wide range of specializations and goes beyond water distribution to users: it is a discipline considering the natural territory and its history, available resources, the water cycle, the already-existing possibilities as well as those yet to be created.
Water Management in Auroville
Five decades ago, after many years of deforestation of valuable tropical woods, the landscape of Auroville region was a barren plateau largely stripped of vegetation. As a result, monsoon storms eroded its topsoil. When a drop of rain fell from the sky, it slammed into a clay surface and, without any absorptive top soil, flowed down into the Bay of Bengal, carving canyons and ravines on its way.
In the years that followed, the landscape has been transformed. Early planting of trees created a fledgling forest, regenerating the topsoil and creating a sponge-like top layer for rain to fall. Bunds were constructed to stop the flow of rainwater to the sea and instead let it percolate to layers below. An extensive network of calculated check-dams were built to stop the torrential flow of storm rains to the sea and allow water to percolate into the aquifers.
Today, Auroville is renowned for its successful reforestation work, for rainwater harvesting, for the construction of check-dams and waste-water treatment plants, and for programmes of tank rehabilitation in the Auroville bio-region. Auroville has come a long way in terms of sustainable water management and it now also continues to focus on appropriate building technologies with emphasis on renewable energy, community awareness, and data gathering.
What will I learn in this webinar?
Participants will learn about planning, developing, distributing, and managing the optimum use of this precious resource, by following the journey of Auroville as a case study for sustainable water management. Building on the learnings from decades of sustainable water management in the Auroville area, in Southern India, this workshop gives insights on what has been achieved in terms of sustainable water management, and what still needs to be done; highlighting areas of improvement to ensure water safety in the future.
When is the webinar?
The webinar will be held on 11th April 2022, 3:30 PM IST
Who can join the webinar?
Anyone! But of particular interest to sustainability enthusiasts, natural resource management, changemakers with a passion for addressing issues pertaining to their local areas, students in environmental disciplines, engineering, architecture, and town planners.
