UniEcoBudget Working Group

Auroville Water Harvest (Harvest) is an NGO created in 1996 to combat sea water intrusion in the freshwater aquifers that feed the bio-region and to promote integrated water management with active people's participation. With strong support from the UNESCO HELP (Hydrology, Environment, Life and Policy) Basin Program, Harvest is pursuing various researches, analysis, and implementing solutions with the cooperation and inclusion of the local population.
Harvest works at the watershed level, which is about 1400 sq km. This is important as the catchment is the smallest complete hydrological unit of analysis and management. It should also be understood that a catchment or watershed approach implies that water should be managed alongside the management of co-dependent natural resources, namely soil, forests, air and biota. Hence the work with all users of water for all purposes, whether consumption, irrigation etc. It has been seen that over the last few decades, due to the changes in the agricultural practises of the farming communities in the area, the use of deep bore wells for irrigation has rapidly led to the depletion of groundwater. Hence one of their main focus areas of intervention is to change these derogatory agricultural practises of the farmers and to motivate them to take up more sustainable practises.

Their work is not focused on only one aspect but looks at the interweaving of human activities on water and environment. Hence Harvest has a scientific component, a social component, a health related component, an agriculture component and a physical component.