SAIIER 2021:Increasing Water Literacy in Auroville

Citizens' Assembly Pilot		Auroville, An Experiment in Spiritually Prefigurative Utopianism
Increasing Water Literacy in Auroville by Author::Ing-Marie

The purpose of this project by the Entity::Water Group was to directly address the current water situation in Auroville by raising awareness of the issues through a series of interactive lectures, film showings, forest walks, public presentations, radio segments and more. Set against a background of dropping aquifers, players in the water sector not cooperating, and infrastructure projects that could further our water security not being funded, the Water Group aimed to increase the water literacy of the Auroville community, build connections with those working on water in the bioregion and throughout India, and promote steps to increase the water security of the township. Due to Covid uncertainties throughout the year, our project execution deviated slightly from the original proposal, however, the overall purpose of raising awareness on water issues remained constant.

Description of project:

This project supported Aditi Rosegger for two tasks. A former member of the Water Group herself, Aditi is currently pursuing a PhD in sustainable water governance in Auroville from the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology, Sydney. During this period, she was taking a temporary leave from her studies and was present in Auroville.

Aditi’s first task was to engage in the collection, organization and documentation of all Auroville water studies. This involved consultation of L’avenir archives, CSR Geomatics, Gilles B., past and current water players, as well as others who have researched water topics in Auroville (i.e. Bogi), and then collecting all water studies from the sources above. In consultation with Water Group, Aditi then identified three institutions, including L’avenir, Water Group, and AuroRepo in which this information will be stored. One of these institutions, AuroRepo, is available to the public. (AuroRepo is the newest incarnation of the previous Research Auroville website, managed by the excellent Auroville Research Platform team – Dominique, Ravi, Henrike and Suryamayi.) Uploading all studies to the AuroRepo site not only ensures accessibility and continuity, but will strengthen Auroville’s reputation as a center of research to the wider global community.

Aditi then created an easy-to-navigate, backed-up database of water studies that helps connect Aurovilians, researchers and practitioners to the materials and work already conducted on the topic and shared it with identified institutions. Finally, she gave recommendations on how best to store data, give access, and share information between institutions in a coherent and organized way.

Aditi’s second task was to create water conservation signs to be posted at Auroville public places, including restaurants, auditoriums, guest houses, and more. She worked with a graphic designer to create a concept for innovative and creative water conservation messaging on different mediums for various venues. This process, including identification of the most sturdy and sustainable materials for signage, creation of one free water conservation signage option for all sites, and creation of pamphlets for more permanent signage in different mediums, continues on. Of all of the work produced, this project was the one that moved the most slowly, simply because the work of both Aditi and the graphic designer was focused on the Citizens’ Assembly (with its pilot project of ‘water’) and graphic display of its outcome, a ‘water vision’ for Auroville.

Water vision for Auroville

In the spirit of Auroville, we will:

• Honour the sacredness of water by recognising it as an eternal source of life, of healing and intelligence by conserving and protecting all water as our sacred inheritence.
• Embrace unity in diversity by using water as an opportunity to unite and collaborate within and beyond our boundaries; welcoming diverse, sustainable approaches to nurture our land and to sustain all life.
• Create a water conscious society by integrating local and global wisdom and acting boldly with openness toward new possibilities.

In addition to Aditi’s work, the Water Group’s original proposal planned for costs around March Water Talks (rental of the Multimedia Centre, MMC), as well as interactive presentations to the community and transportation to water-related site visits. While we had originally planned to spread these out throughout the year, we also dealt with Covid uncertainties and shifting regulations around public gatherings which made us hesitate to plan any events. While we did host our regular March Water Talks, we organized them in such a way that they were Covid-safe and were all outdoor walk/talks involving small groups of people, and therefore did not cost us any money. We also recognized that the culmination of the pilot Citizens’ Assembly project, which ended in March, needed further assistance in sharing its important outcome, the formulation of a water vision for Auroville, to the wider community.

In the end, the SAIIER funds were spent in three ways, largely in collaboration with the Citizens’ Assembly team:

1. Seven showings of Citizens’ Assembly films at MMC throughout the months of February and March;
2. Printing of Water Vision posters and partial payment of their wood framing for distribution to all water players involved in the Citizens’ Assembly;
3. Printing of Water Vision cloth bags that were distributed to all water players, participants and organizers of the Citizens’ Assembly.

Outcomes:

In total over 150 studies on water in Auroville or the Bioregion conducted by Auroville or affiliated organizations were collected and indexed into a Google Drive folder held by the Auroville Water Group. Of these, about 60 Aurovilian-produced studies, articles and presentations were uploaded to AuroRepo’s repository site. The others are pending due to the need to clarify copyright issues and permissions on the AuroRepo site.

A concept for water awareness signage was created and brainstormed together with a graphic designer. This targets Auroville public spaces as well as eateries, tourist spots, guest houses, etc. Actually producing and then disseminating the signs is a next step and would require further funding.

Unfortunately, attendance to the seven film showings of the Citizens’ Assembly films wasn’t as robust as we had been hoping. It was difficult to understand the reasons behind this – we suspected a combination of Covid concerns (sitting in a closed auditorium might not have been appealing to people) and the fact that the films had already been published online (so they could easily watch them from home). We tried to include interactive Q&A with some of the speakers of the films for some of the showings, but they also weren’t well attended. The final screening happened on March 18, just after Covid positive cases emerged in Auroville, so was shifted to the outdoor theater at Anitya Community, where the turnout was much higher. Overall, the Citizens’ Assembly film showings were attended by a total of 93 people.

The Water Vision framed posters were distributed to all water players involved in the Citizens’ Assembly. This included roughly 30 people, most of whom will hang these beautiful posters in their public offices, further increasing the impact and visibility of the water vision.

Water Vision cloth bags were distributed to all water players, participants and organizers of the Citizens’ Assembly, a total of 102 people. Like the printed water visions, they contributed to a beautiful event on March 22nd, World Water Day.

Our third annual March Water Talks 2021 were executed in part because Ing-Marie, the main organizer of these events, could be supported through this project. Overall, the Water Talks attracted around 50 people spread out over three events: “Water Works in Darkali” (March 1), “An Odour-Free Visit to the Residential Zone Sewage Treatment Plant” (March 8), and “Whole Water in Buddha Garden” (March 29). Our event on March 15 fell through, so we encouraged the community to attend a presentation by the Citizens’ Assembly team the next day, March 16, which had a turnout of about 20 people.

Our culminating event planned for March 22nd, World Water Day, had to be cancelled for the public due to three Covid-positive cases being reported in Auroville the week before and extra precautions being taken after that. We did hold a smaller event, in collaboration with the Citizens’ Assembly team, on March 22nd, to honor the water players of Auroville in which 40 people attended. So overall, roughly 110 people attended these water-related events.

Reflections:

It was important for the Water Group to support and collaborate with the Citizens’ Assembly team to recognize the important work they did in the creation of the water vision and help to celebrate and share this work with the wider community.

Challenges included navigating the unknowns of Covid and the implications that shifting regulations might have on any planned events. Fortunately, with some flexibility and support of SAIIER, we adapted our budget accordingly with a positive outcome.

Conclusion:

Certainly, the work of increasing the water literacy of Auroville can continue on. Indeed, with the implementation group that emerged from the Citizens’ Assembly in full swing and the “Water Matters Mela” being planned for September, there is currently a lot of momentum around water and education within Auroville.

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