Conservationists to propose Kazhuveli watershed region in T.N. for nomination to World Monuments Fund Watchlist 2025

March 13, 2024 03:09 pm | Updated 03:09 pm IST - VILLUPURAM

The Eri (tank) network in the Kazhuveli watershed region in Villupuram district that comprises of an incredible network of tanks created thousands of years ago is to be proposed for nomination to the World Monuments Fund Watchlist 2025.

The watershed area stretches from Gingee to Marakkanam all the way up to the Auroville plateau, and covers an area of 740 sq. km.

The Watchlist is a “nomination-based process” that galvanises individuals, communities and leaders from across the public and private sectors, to come together around global issues affecting heritage sites, and sets the future direction of WMF’s field work.

The proposal to include the ‘Eri’ network in the Kazhuveli watershed region in the list of nominations for 2025 is to be submitted by conservationists Aghash Natarajan and Helen Crutcher, graduate students from the Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus-Senftenber and Induja Gandhiprasad, an environmental conservationist from Auroville.

According to the proposal, South India has an outstanding water management system that contains an incredible network of tanks created thousands of years ago to cater to the prosperity of the region, and has sustained these agricultural practices for thousands of years. But over the past few hundred years, this system has been declining due to various reasons. There is a strong pressing need to revive these traditional networks and their cultural heritage to keep cultural values and the ecological balance of the region, intact.

According to Induja Gandhiprasad: “Auroville’s planning has been directly linked to the whole bioregion and we are interdependent. It has always been in Auroville’s interest to look at the bioregion planning. That is how I became interested in working on this project with people who had a similar interest. Our focus is on nominating the watershed area consisting of the network of tanks that is a one-of-a-kind ecosystem covering a large landscape.”

Ms. Gandhiprasad added, “If the nomination comes through, pilot projects will be run in Munnur village to develop a heritage toolkit that could be replicated through the watershed and beyond. By reconnecting communities with their heritage and co-designing approaches with local expertise, these communities can ensure their water resilience in the face of increasing climate change threats. Heritage will retake its place as a community asset.”

The Adavalleswarar temple dedicated to Lord Shiva in Munnur is over 1,500 years old. The temple has inscriptions on the Eri system and how it was managed by the local communities. Though the tank is still intact, the heritage components have been destroyed and utilisation of the tanks has reduced. This is a classic example of how endangered the tank system is at present, she explained.

The team has started networking with stakeholders including the district administration, non-governmental organisations (MS Swaminathan Research Foundation and Pitchandikulam Forest), resource persons and experts who have worked in the Kazhuveli region.

“We have received positive responses so far and letters of support have been provided by experts and NGOs. A core stakeholder group will be built to manage involvement in the projects,” Ms. Gandhiprasad said.