AN OVERALL VIEW OF ACTIVITIES IN THE KALUVELLY PONDICHERRY BASIN Since the ‘Green revolution’, started in the 1970’s, the Government of India had offered heavy subsidy for well drilling, electrical installations and the concessions of free electricity to all agricultural pump sets. As a result, the number of bore-wells in use for agriculture has increased considerably. An individualistic approach caused by social change towards the irrigation water management at the farm level and adoption of intensive cropping of cash crops like sugarcane, casuarina, etc., led to a neglect of the traditional tank water irrigation system. This system is an age old practice but it was seen that in the last 50 years, due to the subsidies etc, these tanks have not been maintained leading to their neglect and becoming dysfunctional. Subsequently, the decline of interest to maintain and manage the tank structures, which was formerly a common feature in villages and carried out every year before the on-set of Monsoon to store adequate rainwater. Understanding the crisis of the water situation in the area of the Kaluvelly Pondicherry basin, it becomes imperative to have a comprehensive water management plan of action. The scientific component is furthered by field action projects which try to bring about cohesiveness of a comprehensive system. There is a heavy emphasis on social mobilisation of the communities towards building up an integrated and sustainable water resource management plan. All projects carried out so far have a strong social component where communities are made aware of the problem and become actively involved in helping to ameliorate it in a sustainable manner. TANK REHABILITATION PROJECT- PONDICHERRY It is an ongoing project to rehabilitate the existing but dysfunctional traditional rain water harvesting tanks in the basin area. The Tank Rehabilitation Project-Pondicherry (TRPP) was initiated in the year 1999, with aid from the European Union. It is coordinated by the Public Works Department (PWD) Govt. of Pondicherry and has currently been handed over to them. It involves in rehabilitating all 84 tanks in Pondicherry and the surrounding area which also fall into Tamil Nadu. Rehabilitation of existing water structures, feeding channels, irrigation channels with new infrastructure like surplus weirs etc is included in the project. This is a unique project in Pondicherry as it involves the participation of all the stakeholders in all stages of the project. There are 4 NGOs involved in the social mobilisation component in gaining active participation and ownership of the various stakeholders and beneficiaries. Auroville Water Harvest, an NGO under Auroville Foundation, was entrusted with the work of Community Organizing of 31 tanks since the inception of the project in 1999. A GPS topographic survey of tanks, channels and ayacut (irrigation) areas for TRPP was conducted. The end product was the submission of computer generated topographic maps and reports describing the methodology used as well as volume computation. Harvest also looks after the physical work in the tanks and the channels with its excavators. The new phase commenced in January 2005 for another 3 1/2 years more to consolidate all physical work and to ensure sustainability not only in terms of physical work but also social mobilisation and ownership. A pilot phase project has started along the same lines with Karaikal which is 150 km from the project area. This work has been entrusted to Harvest. Page 1 of 6 The project has a strong social component in actively working with the community in planning and implementation aspects. There is enhanced capacity building of the community for the management of the resources especially among the women who form Self Help Groups. These groups are given small enterprises to handle thus increasing their potential to act as active change makers. The communities are organised along Water Users Associations where they make rules and regulations for the use of water. These associations are then linked cluster wise to see that the water resources are managed and maintained. A federation of associations is in the process of formation. Achievements on various aspects have been recorded: The PWD engineers have recorded a significant increase in the level of ground water table. Water extraction from bore wells has reduced in many areas and the farmers have started to use tank water for the crops cultivated in the ayacut area. Saving of electricity was also achieved in some cases as the motor pumps are less used for water extraction The cleaning and renovation of feeder canal made the water flow easily towards the tank, which made the tank fill to its full capacity during the rainy season. This allowed more tanks to be linked together and water could be easily be diverted to difficult tanks. Foreshore bund was created achieving the stoppage of encroachments & water inundation to the field.. Due to the increase of water storage capacity in the tanks, fish culture has been taken up. This provided an additional income and financial benefits to the tank associations and the villagers. The Water User Associations took over the responsibility of managing and monitoring the tanks. They were also given the usufructs rights of the tank. One part of the social achievement is that the associations have obtained the involvement of women. Due to the drainage improvement, the irrigation practices were improved. Through the entire project the farmers were trained on Organic farming, Tree plantation, Cropping pattern methodology, Horticulture, etc., which improved their standard of living, attitude and skills. Tree plantation along the bund improved the ecology, and reduced soil erosion along the bund. Many approach roads were constructed from the silt and mud from the excavation of tank. Seeing the success of this project, the Government of Tamil Nadu, the neighbouring state, has adopted the technique of combining both physical work and social mobilisation in the state to rehabilitate the traditional water harvesting devices. Page 2 of 6 NEW PROJECTS It is now well understood by the communities that water is a precious resource which is fast depleting. It is only through community mobilisation and awareness creation that some sort of management system can be reached. It has been observed that there is an increase in the participation of women in the forums through the active work of the community organisers. FIELD ACTION PROJECTS Salinity Moderating & Proofing Of Coastal Aquifers: Integrated Water Management With A Participatory Approach The present trend of mining groundwater in the villages of Vanur Taluk is posing a big threat to fresh water availability. The situation is highly favourable for further rapid intrusion of seawater in the fresh water aquifers. Numerous wells in this region have become defunct already. Moreover, the inhabitants are facing acute shortage of drinking water. The percentage of fresh water sources affected by salinity is 48% and 66% in the coastal and the interior parts respectively. The late catastrophic Tsunami increased the degradation and multiplied the environmental and human risks. Harvest, a local NGO, proposes to conduct a 3 years mini watershed project in an area particularly threatened by salinity intrusion in the Vanur Taluk of Villupuram District, Tamil Nadu, India. The development of the mini watershed is based on an integrated approach, which comprises water, land, ecology, sanitation livestock and people. Seven villages have been selected for the developmental cum research project and the results of the project will be demonstrated to the nearby villages. As the proposed project is based on a participatory approach with the water users, farmers and the community, the already existing Water Users Associations of the area and the newly formed associations will be motivated to act as change agents to conserve the natural resources. The project includes an important rainwater harvesting and artificial groundwater recharge programme. Artificial recharging will be done through tanks rehabilitation, recharge wells, check dams and percolation ponds in the catchment’s area of the project. The rainwater will be harvested with the help of check dams, stored into ponds and will recharge by percolation. This is a participatory project which involves the active participation of the communities leading to a sense of ownership and sustainability of the project. Project objectives The broader objective of the proposal is to retard contamination by salinisation of the coastal aquifer (which is the only dependable source of accessible water for drinking and agricultural purposes) in the coastal villages and to maintain the hydrodynamic balance of the groundwater with seawater. The initiatives taken within this project will act on the global Page 3 of 6 ecological system. The project aims to modify the natural resources capacities as well as their usage. The scientific knowledge developed on the hydrogeological conditions of this region will help to define suitable and practical solutions. Methodology: The surface runoff would be tackled, thus leading to a maximization of rainwater harvesting capacities in the area, and large increase of groundwater recharge by appropriate recharge structures on the waterways and in the fields. The rehabilitation of the water conservation structures will contribute as well to augment the aquifers recharge but also to use more efficiently surface water for irrigation purpose. Furthermore, implementing better surface water management, irrigation and agriculture practices will reduce reliance on groundwater. Through the development of appropriate facilities, sanitation aspects will also be taken care, creating awareness in the population. The community plays a major role in seeing to the planning along with technical experts. They are also actively involved in the monitoring and implementation of the project thus making it a truly participatory one. There is much capacity building to the population for management of all technical aspects thus making the project sustainable. Kottakarai Sanitation Project Kottakarai, a village on the outskirts of Auroville, has been facing severe water related heath and sanitation problems. It was an acute crisis as the village is on top of a canyon whcih is the head of a watershed area and is first in line of the drainage. There is a high risk of water contamination as the village also lies on a shallow aquifer. A few days ago, a sanitation project was launched in the village along with extensive awareness generation sessions for the community. This is a pilot phase project. Dewats and Ecosanitation With the increasing problems in disposal of solid wastes and liquid wastes, Auroville has been promoting the use of DEWATS and Ecosan toilets. Decentralised Wastewater Treatment Systems (DEWATS) helps to treat waste water generated from either household, institution or industrial / commercial set up consuming water which do not have an outlet into a public sewer. The treatment efficiency is high (>95%) and provides clear water whcih is rich in plant nutrients. The byproducts of the treatment are biogas, sludge and a high hygiene-standard water. The biogas is an excellent cooking fuel while the sludge can be transformed into good manure through composting. This technology is being promoted by Auroville for the last 10 years. UNICEF – WATSAN project In the advent of the Tsunami, UNICEF and the DRDA has come up with a project to build new toilest and repair of damaged toilets in the temporary shelters along the coast of Tamil Nadu. This is being carried out with the local NGOs. Page 4 of 6 SAVE WATER Campaign at school level There is a national programme to spread awareness of water and sanitation among the school children who in their way are effective change makers. Under the Total Sanitation Campaign, in Tamil Nadu, 5 districts have joint programmes happening. The issues covered are water scarcity, water haresting, sanitation, hygiene, health and environmental protection. This campaign is to give children an opportunity to understand the problem of water and to motivate families and neighbours to take action. RESEARCH There are currently many researches that are being conducted by Harvest in order to not only build resources but also to help in implementation of projects. 2004 : Geological contour checking on the field, and construction of a 3D geological model. Pre and post monsoon geochemical survey on groundwater, and during the monsoon on rainwater (samples currently being analysed). Surface hydrology survey during the monsoon, including flow measurements and tanks water level monitoring. 3D geological model 2005 : Post-Tsunami actions : Environmental impact study of the Tsunami on the coastal aquifer. Surface hydrology modeling. Pre Feasibility Study on Integrated Water Management The Integrated Sustainable Water Management study for a region of 70 sq km is being conducted by a team of international scientists from Germany, Netherlands, Israel and France. The study looks at existing water resources and thier respective quantity and quality. The study will come up with recommendations for appropriate management of water resources and to define means and ways to conserve and protect resources. This study aims to give a model that can be replicable in other similar situation. Water and sanitation assessment in tsunami affected villages of Tamil Nadu Catholic Relief Services, RedR India adn Harvest conducted an assessment on the water and sanitation conditions in the temporary shelters in 20 tsunami affected villages. The villages covered were in 3 districts – Nagapattinam, Tirunelvelli and Kanyakumari. The study revealed that there was high contamination of both fecal matter and sea water in these areas. The water pollution was due to the poor drainage and inappropriate sanitation infrastructures constructed during the emergency period. Page 5 of 6 SEMINAR FOLLOW UP In september 2004, the President of India, Dr Kalam attened a seminar at Auroville on Sustainable Water Management. The seminar presentations and discussions are in the process of being published soon. For more information on the activities of Harvest, one can visit the website – www.auroville.org/environment/harvest/harvest.htm Page 6 of 6