ECOCLUB ecotourism news, Issue 26
Correspondents' Reports

Auroville Township Project
By our India Correspondent C.S Mani, Director, Green Tourism Promotion

" Auroville, or ‘the city of dawn’, is a unique township located in a predominantly rural district of Villupuram in Tamil Nadu. At the time of its establishment in 1968, the area was barren and deforested. Three decades later, the Auroville community has transformed a veritable desert into a lush green place. The Auroville township project has a population of about 60,000 people covering 13 villages. But in the designated Auroville area, there are only five villages with a population between 8,000 and 10,000. The Auroville community comprises only 1,500 people, 30 per cent of them are Indians. The Auroville township project started regenerating the environment 30 years ago. At that time, the entire landscape was barren. Now, there are around 300,000 trees. Local people as well as the members of the Auroville community are involved in the project. At present, the mission has employed some 5,000 local people in various sectors. But not all of them are members of Auroville because in order to be one, you have to subscribe to a few basic rules. For instance, there is no private ownership of property. Obviously, people who have been living there traditionally cannot be asked to give up their ownership of house and land. Geographically they are within the Auroville area and are part of the experiment, which aims to create unity not only among community members but also between members and the local people. The only way to avoid migration and shanty towns is to strictly adhere to the master plan of Auroville where the land use pattern is specified. There are different zones – international, cultural, residential and industrial zones. In the case of industries, the focus is on small-scale units. Many local people are employed in these units and are also trained. For instance, when villagers come to work with the handicraft units, they learn the techniques. Then they go back to their villages and start their own workshop. Now there are a large number of workshops, which manufacture incense sticks, toys and other goods.

In India, there are many big towns and there is a lot of poverty in rural areas. Poverty can be alleviated by creating such towns, which again reenergize the villages around them. It could also help solve the problem of unemployment and migration. In small towns, the population is less and they are more aware about each other. The impact of their activities on nature is also better managed. For instance, in Auroville, an integrated approach to watershed management is practiced. After an extensive study of the land and the water flow in the area, bunds and check dams are constructed to control both the soil and water run-off. The Auroville Centre for Scientific Research (CSR), which was established in 1984 and is recognized as a scientific research institution by the Union Ministry of Science and Technology, has also come up with cost-effective ways to purify water. At present, it operates 14 small and medium-size waste water recycling systems for households, schools and communities. CSR has also been active in promoting the use of renewable energy – namely solar, wind and biomass. The Auroville project feeds the surrounding rural areas and at the same time makes them interact with the centre. Whatever is being done in the centre is then replicated in the bioregion. In the quest for peace and international understanding, Auroville members are involved in environmental and rural development work. The process of urbanization has led to an increase in pollution levels in India. But to say that Auroville is the new paradigm, will be pretending. This is just one solution, but it cannot be and should not be the only one."