Water Matters Project aims to address the impending water scarcity crisis in the Auroville bioregion through the creation of a shared 'Fellowship of the Watershed' by working specifically with school children to empower them as future climate leaders as they inherit the diminishing watershed. The project is rooted in years of research on the ecological systems in the bioregion as well as extensive analysis of the specific conservation practices and innovations that experts have developed here.
The Auroville bioregion on the Coramandel coast of Tamil Nadu in South India has been greatly and adversely affected by the diminishing water resources and groundwater salination occurring here. At present, there is a lack of sustainable and cohesive methodology to conserve and contain the water that falls on the land, which will result in a water scarcity crisis if the population remains unaware of the brevity of the issue and does not quickly change its water usage and containment practices.
The Water Matters team aims to foster capacity-building in creative ways, starting with local children, the future leaders of the land and the demographic that will inherit the watershed in crisis. By sharing our knowledge through fun and empowering water-conservation activities, our project will create a ripple effect that spreads awareness of the issue as well as provide omnipotent solutions to begin combating it through one of the most powerful nucleuses for change - the hearts of children.
This project is fundamentally based on ongoing research, outreach, and capacity-building. Our efforts will continue until all 35,000 people in the bioregion have been informed on the crisis and shown how to combat it. Through supporting the children as budding leaders of the watershed and helping them to spread knowledge of water-conserving innovations, we can stop the salinization of the groundwater in the region and ensure that the drying aquifers refill and stay full for decades to come.
