Monsoon work in surrounding villages

The heavy rains took many areas in South India by surprise. Chennai and Cuddalore were flooded and many small villages in our bioregion were also severely affected, some almost washed away. Auroville’s effort to provide flood relief in the neighbouring area brought together three groups, Auroville Village Action, EcoPro and YouthLink, supported by the Working Committee and various other individuals. With limited resources and funds, it was decided to focus on two aspects. One was to spray Effective Microorganisms (EM) in the areas most affected. The immediate benefit of EM is the elimination of foul smells, thereby reducing the spread of diseases via flies. EM also has the capacity to restore the microbial balance in the soil, and, over time, reduce the number of pathogens. The second effort was to distribute water treatment sachets from Auro Aquasafe to help those without access to clean drinking water. The work was done in consultation with the affected panchayats.