The Palmyra Centre of
Ecological Landuse, Water Management and Rural Development was founded in 1990
and is situated in Aurobrindavan, Auroville in the Villupuram District of Tamil
Nadu, India. The Palmyra Centre in Auroville
The Palmyra Centre of
Ecological Landuse, Water Management and Rural Development was founded in 1990
and is situated in Aurobrindavan, Auroville in the Villupuram District of Tamil
Nadu, India.
Its objectives are to promote Ecological concepts of Landuse as well as Rural Development Programmes.
By promoting Sustainable and Ecological Landuse methods we see ourselves partaking in an ever growing movement to support autonomous developmental processes worldwide. Our aim is to use local resources and traditional knowledge as well as newly discovered concepts to an optimal degree, therewith improving esteem and livelihood of the local people.
Since the inception of Auroville in 1968, considerable work has been undertaken by members of the Auroville community and their associates in the fields of Afforestation and Soil and Water conservation. Jürgen Pütz, one of the founders of the Palmyra Centre, has been involved in Afforestation, Soil and Water Conservation and Organic Farming since he joined the Auroville Community in 1973. His experience has consequently transcended the borders of Auroville and he involved neighboring village farmers, Woman Groups and land owners in Afforestation and Soil and Water Conservation as well as Tank Rehabilitation and other Rural Developmental projects.
By involving itself almost exclusively with activities in the Kalivelli/Auroville Bioregion the Palmyra Centre is constructively building a bridge between different sections and groups of local people including those of Auroville. The need of the hour is to both act as a catalyst for manifesting new discoveries and innovative strategies to contribute towards the growth of the rural economy and well being as well as promoting co-evolutionary concepts in the social environment.
As a continuation of the activities of the Palmyra Centre we are envisioning the establishment of the Palmyra Research Institute in the foreseeable future.
The P.R.I. will be mainly active in research and implementation of works related to Tank irrigated Agriculture in Tamil Nadu.
Rehabilitation and Management of Tanks in South India:
Tanks have been the main source of irrigation in many parts of India from time immemorial. India experiences extremes of climate within its 329 million hectares (ha) of geographical area. Rain fall pattern is neither predictable nor uniform over space and time. The incidence of rainfall is also seasonal, occurring mainly during the southwest monsoon (June to September) in most part of the country except the rain shadow areas of the western ghates (Steep mountainous range), notably Tamil Nadu.
The hydrological characteristic of the Indian monsoon necessitated the creation of storage facilities to hold the rain water of the monsoon and utilize the same at a later date. With extraordinary engineering, managerial, and social skills, an extensive system of rainwater harvesting structures comprising tanks and ponds had been built and maintained by the people for centuries.
South India has more tanks because of its geography, climate, and terrain situations. Most of the land lying between Western Ghats and the eastern coast misses the intensive rainfall of the dependable south-west monsoon. But the north-east monsoon, which is less dependable, brings more rain over these areas. However, the north-east monsoon is often accompanied by cyclones and pores heavily in short spells. Unless the rain water is collected and stored, these areas will have acute water shortage and drought during the rest of the year. Hence tanks have come into existence in this part of the country in large numbers.
South Indian tanks are inextricably linked to the socio-cultural aspects of rural communities and have historically been an indispensable part of the village habitat. As small-scale irrigation systems, these tanks are easily adaptable to the system of decentralized village administration they have. The overflow of one tank moves into the ‘lower-down tank’ and so on up to the sea or drain. The tank is recognized as having at least four different functions in irrigated agriculture – water conservation, soil conservation, flood control, and protection of ecology of the surrounding area.
The Famine Commission in 1878-1880 examined in detail the subject of maintenance of tanks and recommended that the tanks irrigating above 200 acres could remain in the hands of Public Works Department (PWD) for maintenance and repair; the tanks irrigating lands between 50 and 200 acres should be rehabilitated and handed over to the village panchaayath (body of elected representatives) to maintain.
For these activities we will make use of certain lands within the Palmyra/Aurobrindavan Campus. These lands are ideally suited to serve as Models for the major land areas typically attributed to tank related agriculture. These are catchment area lands, which also will be utilized for horticultural and other agriculturally related income generating activities by Woman Self Help Groups with whom we are associated.
There will be a small Tank Bed area to hold the Surplus run-off water and a Command- Area which will show and demonstrate all the different models of irrigation and drainage-channels, sluices, water measuring devices, crop cultivation and water saving measures.
The main building of the Palmyra Centre will also be modified to hold All-Level Meetings, Programmes and Conferences on a continuous basis. Modernized hard-copy and a digital Library will make it possible for Students to engage in various researches of the Institute at all times and at all hours.