Matrimandir Gardens

On the Matrimandir Peace area - 2003

Page 104

I

-The Mother clearly considered that there was not enough water available underground to supply the city, let alone a large lake. And that is why the idea of creating an island for the Matrimandir had been postponed. The Mother has explicitly referred to three developments as regards the improvement of the water availability in a general way: One was the re-routing of rivers; another was the rehabilitation of rain-harvesting reservoirs; the third was the desalination process. -The water situation in the Auroville area has considerably improved over the years, due to efforts being consistently made in erosion control, bunding, afforestation, rehabilitation of village tanks. However in the last years industrial developments and sharp increase in population in the general area have caused new problems that have now reached a critical stage: pollution of the aquifers, intrusion of saline water, and an overall depletion of underground resources. - H. Kraft's proposal might have been studied as an option at the early stages of the planning for the creation of Auroville, before for instance any deep well was bored. Now, thirty years or so later, the situation is far two complex and volatile to allow for the very strict and regulated policies required for the implementation of such a proposal, not to mention the well researched objections to it in terms of feasibility, safety, of its sociological impacts for the entire area, of its cost. (Five hundred crores was the figure mentioned). -It has been suggested a number of times already that a fairly large reservoir could easily be built down the western slope from the Matrimandir, half way to the Nursery, as a catchment for harvesting the rain water running off the gardens and park. -Recent studies and developments in the techniques of desalination have proved very promising and a pilot project may be considered in the near future that could already ensure the filling and upkeep of a moderately-sized water-body around the oval island of the Matrimandir.