Water

PROBLEMATIC
The water situation is studied since a long time.
Our only resource today is groundwater, fragile quantity
wise and quality wise.
No final decision on the way to proceed about water
sourcing has been fixed so far.
We still have serious uncertainty about the sources to be
used to ensure safe and reliable water supply.
In the frame of a developing city, it is high time to reach
decisions.
A lot of uncertainty prevail:
Urban design & urban planning
Population growth
Speed of growth and development
Individual consumption
Safety of groundwater resources
 Methodology of the study
1st step:
To define the context
To look at all the potential water resources
To frame the uncertainties within reasonable limits
To define comparison factors
To analyse the potential and implication for each
possibility
To compare between all the possibilities
To generate a synthesis to help in the decision
making process .

2nd step
To develop further the most promising solution
 Context
All the resource today is coming from the
groundwater
The upper aquifer (Cuddalore) is not water tight
Bore wells tap multiple aquifers
Groundwater is depleting
Groundwater threatened by seawater intrusion
Runoff water offer a large scope as a resource
All the resource today is coming from the groundwater
The upper aquifer (Cuddalore) is not water tight
Bore wells tap multiple aquifers
Groundwater is depleting
Groundwater threatened by seawater intrusion
Water level map of the
Vanur aquifer
Doctor Aude Vincent:
HYDROLOGICAL AND
HYDROGEOLOGICAL STUDY
OF THE COASTAL
SEDIMENTARY BASIN OF
KALUVELLI-PONDICHERRY
(TAMIL NADU, INDIA)

5 km N 0
N
5m
10 m

15 m

-30

Baie du
Bengale

-57

1950 2006
WATER CYCLE
Runoff water offer a large scope as a resource
 The potential water resources

Groundwater
Rainwater
Wastewater
Seawater desalinization
Groundwater desalinization
 Potential water resources: main points of evaluation
Groundwater:
Infrastructure already existing
Fragile because of general degradation
Running cost and maintenance easy
and cheap
Rainwater:
Yearly available in very large quantity Seawater desalinization:
but highly fluctuating
Can be collected using topographic
conditions.
Must be part of planning and
development issues immediately.
Not depending on any larger territory
than Auroville
Running cost and maintenance well-
known, Cheapest
Wastewater:
A part only of the water consumption
High risk for cross contamination.
Well adapted to local solution
Running cost and maintenance
relatively complex
Unlimited resource
Social issues to be addressed
Running cost and maintenance
complex, costly
Groundwater desalinization:
very large resource
Cheaper than seawater
Social issues
Can be integrated at any stage
Running cost and maintenance
relatively complex and costly
 Evaluation
Evaluation table: 4 stars best, 1 star worth
 Conclusion on resources
All resources can be part of the sourcing system.
Multi sourcing is a necessity
Groundwater is already used but very fragile.
Groundwater desalination seems a worthy solution
compared to seawater desalination
Rainwater harvesting solution offers best scores. It is
hence studied further below.
To frame the uncertainties within
reasonable limits

Time frame
Population
Water consumption
Runoff
Limit of validity of a resource from the
quantitative point of view
 Time frame
Implementation in accordance with very long term forecasting may lead to
technical solutions totally outdated when they would become necessary,
because of the fast technological evolution.
Accordingly, it makes a lot of sense to reflect on very long term principles,
but to stay on shorter time frame for the technical solutions.
Proposed solutions should fit with
practicality
reasonable time frame
be a sustained asset for the now as well as the long term.
To Invest in long-term related infrastructure may overload the present
population with financial demand

Conclusion: By retrospectively looking at the past and learning from it, it

seems very reasonable to limit practical horizon to a 20 years time period
from now or the year 2030.
 Population
Population Growth in Auroville following different scenario
55 000

50 000

45 000

Targeted Date : 2030

40 000

35 000
Population

30 000

25 000
22 186
20 000

15 000 15 473 5% 7%

10 000 10% 12%

8 900

5 000 6 103

0
2010

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

2022

2024

2026

2028

2030

2032

2034

2036

2038

2040

2042

2044

2046

2048

2050

2052

2054

2056

2058

2060

2062

2064

2066

2068

2070

2072

2074
by 2030 Aurovilles population will reach
6,100 people for a growth rate of 5%
22,200 people for a growth rate of 12%
 Water consumption

Hence, the retained values for this study are :

160lcd (lowest value)
215lcd (highest value)
 Runoff in Aurovilles urbanizing context

Hence, the retained values for this study are :

35% runoff for low population/ low imperviousness
54% runoff for high population/ high imperviousness
 Limit of validity of a resource from the
quantitative point of view
The level of complexity requires that the volume is large enough to justify
the choice for a particular resource.

Investment for large infrastructure is done

because it is acting on public safety
because it is fulfilling a function on the daily life of the targeted population.
Hence, a water resource system must fulfill 2 criteria:
to run for the longest possible period during the year
to run with the smallest possible interval between standby period.

It is fixed arbitrary that such a limit in the context of this study should be to
supply the targeted population for at least half a year (180 days).

Below this value investment, maintenance and operation may become too
costly to justify such choice.
 Limits for the study: Synthesis

Conclusion
A 20 years time frame is a reasonable limit for planning
Even by using large fresh water consumption values, rainwater
harvesting offers a very large scope as a resource
Auroville as a developing city will offer larger scope for water
harvesting through time.
 Methodology of the study
1st step:
To define the context
To look at all the potential water resources
To frame the uncertainties within reasonable limits
To define comparison factors
To analyses the potential and implication for each possibility
To compare between all the possibilities
To generate a synthesis to help in the decision making
process .

2nd step
To develop further the most promising solution
Potential from rainwater and surface water

Ground water recharge

Roof rainwater harvesting
Catchment in existing Irumbai tank
Catchment in artificial ponds made in canyons
Catchment in Matrimandir Lake
 Rainwater: main points of evaluation
Ground water recharge
Cost effective in east part of Auroville but
limited scope on west part
Recharge potential will drop through
development (impervious area)
Already largely practiced but scope for
improvement due to future development.
Become then a groundwater resource and
will help to maintain it but becomes
vulnerable.
Roof rainwater harvesting
Costly because of the rainfall pattern (large
storage required to optimize collection)
Connection to municipal supply difficult
Can be developed along the development
process
Running cost and maintenance complex
Catchment in existing Irumbai
tank
Cheap
Social issue
It is a source of irrigation for agriculture
High losses by evaporation and limited
storage
Pollutant from agricultural activities difficult
to avoid
Running cost and maintenance relatively
complex
Catchment in artificial ponds
in canyons
Costly
Large excavation required
Exceeding water mainly lost to the sea
Running cost and maintenance complex
Catchment in Matrimandir
Lake
Cheap as only the drainage system is to be
considered
Practical value generated for Matrimandir
Lake
Exceeding water could be recharged in
groundwater table as the best possible
location
Social issues cannot be neglected
Becomes a multi-purpose solution:
drainage, esthetical, symbolic, supply
Important evaporation losses
Running cost and maintenance relatively
complex
 Rainwater: synthesis
Evaluation table: 4 stars best, 1 star worth
 Rainwater: Conclusion

All solutions can be part of the sourcing system.

Open storage system is generating important losses
because of high evaporation rate.
The Catchment in Matrimandir Lake solution offers
the best score.
 Are we able to make choices?
Multi sourcing?
Rain water as a resource?
Matrimandir Lake as major part of the water
system?
Integration in planning and development
issues?
 Thanks a lot for
A Sustainable and Harmonious
Future!