The Matrimandir lake controversy

Unsurprisingly, given the recent history of tree cutting for the Crown, this elicited strong resistance from some residents. In fact, when the extent of the tree cutting became clear, a small group came together to protect the remaining neem tree on the old viewing point (the new excavation required the old viewing point to be demolished), and two Aurovilians  caused a legal notice to be sent to the Matrimandir executives and another Aurovilian, warning them that in pursuing this work they were in “Willful and wanton violation of the judgment of the Hon’ble National Green Tribunal (NGT) dated 28.04.2022 in OA No. 239 of 2021”. This judgment, which is being appealed, directed the Auroville Foundation to prepare a township plan and obtain mandatory environmental clearance for any major infrastructure work in the city area, with the exception of the construction of the Crown Road. 

The legal notice called on the Matrimandir executives and additional individual, to stop all further tree felling and other activities in the Matrimandir area until environmental clearance is obtained in compliance with the NGT judgment, failing which appropriate action would be taken to punish them for contempt of the NGT judgment. 

Predictably, this deepened divisions in the community even further. While attendees at a residents’ meeting in Kalabhumi applauded this legal initiative, which, it was emphasised, was taken on behalf of many residents, the Foundation-supported Working Committee wrote, “The sheer arrogance of this attempt to intimidate and force the executives to stop all activities in the Matrimandir area  together with an ignorance of the process that is unique to Matrimandir, is deplorable and to be condemned ... We herewith state our full support for the Matrimandir Team and the progress that they have made and wish them all success to carry out what is necessary for the progress of the Lake work along with Michael Bonke and team.” (The Matrimandir executives have a plan to finish the Matrimandir, including the gardens and the lake, by The Mother’s 150th birth anniversary, February 21st, 2028.)

The tree cutting was the catalyst which prompted new discussions about the Matrimandir lake. However, controversies regarding the lake are nothing new. Over the years, questions have been raised about its size, depth, shape, aesthetic and its function, about how to fill and seal it, as well as its impact upon underwater aquifers and the bioregion. Some people have even questioned whether there should be a lake at all, in spite of Mother’s clear indication that it should be there at some point.  

There was much interest, therefore, in what Michael Bonke who, for many years, has financed research into the lake, would say in his presentation of the present work and future plans for the lake when he addressed an open meeting on 19th September.

The first lake presentation

Michael began by presenting what he said was Mother’s ‘master plan for Auroville’, dated 25th June, 1965. The sketch showed a central island and circular lake, as well as the four zones and a hill adjacent to the lake.  Michael pointed out that we had been discussing many different versions of the lake for the past 30 years, but now there was a realization that the lake depicted in Mother’s sketch, a “clean geometrical ring of roughly uniform width”, was the most practical solution. 

Meanwhile, his team had discovered practical functions they had not thought of before, including the possibility of underwater storage of drinking water and creating another elevated lake to buffer solar energy [see AV Today # 407-8 for more details]. 

Then, referring to the suggestion that peninsulas be part of the lake’s design,  as envisaged by Roger, he explained that a circulating current, driven by wind, is necessary for underwater biology, specifically to oxygenate the depths where sunlight cannot penetrate, and peninsulas and islands would interfere with this current. A clean geometrical shape was optimal for the current flow, while the ten metres depth was necessary to limit the percentage of evaporation.

The question and answer session that followed focused on certain issues. One was technical feasibility. Regarding sealing the lake, Michael pointed out that the HDPE foil chosen was the most effective sealant, having been tested in thousands of water bodies in Germany. Another concern was how a lake of this dimension would be filled and kept filled (as Roger wanted no big deviation in the water level during the year). Michael said it would be filled by a combination of rain run-off from the Matrimandir area and desalinated water. 

However, it was pointed out that the desalination plant was not operational and perhaps would not be operational for many years, or even at all. How could the lake be filled without desalinated water? Michael replied that as the city developed, many impermeable surfaces would be created, and the run-off from these surfaces could be channeled into the lake. So the lake could also be filled by run-off from this larger catchment area as well as direct rainfall.

More than one attendee felt that these ideas needed to be evaluated by outside experts. Michael responded that for more than 20 years they have had a scientific team from LGA Nuremberg, the most eminent scientific institution in Germany specialising in water issues, evaluating their plans, and they have given the green light.  

But what about the test lake? asked another Aurovilian.  When the test lake was constructed it was understood that certain parameters would be evaluated before the next phase of construction began, but this has not happened. The test lake has not been filled to anywhere near its capacity yet, so why the haste to begin the next stage of the lake?

Michael replied that some of the test results were already very clear, and the efficacy of HDPE had been proven elsewhere, while certain parameters could not be tested until further sections of the lake had been constructed. “The bigger the lake grows, the more we will find out. Once the lake is completed we will have totally different conditions…If we wait for 3-4 years to test each section, it will take many more years. Let’s complete it and then we will see.”

“Why have the results of your research not been shared more widely with the community?” asked another attendee.  We would like to see the scientific reports you are using, she said, because this project has immense implications for the city’s energy and water. Michael replied that his team has shared all this information for over 25 years with Town Development Committees.  “We are getting fed up after 30 years of explaining again and again. At some point we just have to do it, and then we will see.”

While appreciating his work and commitment, “You need to accept there is a softening and regulatory power in the community, and if it had been included more we could have avoided grave mistakes,” remarked another Aurovilian. 

“I think you know my opinion about the process”, responded Michael. “Everybody just wants to be heard and to block: the process doesn’t serve any purpose but blocking. There are 101 opinions, but one is coming from The Mother, so that has more value.”

“But is this particular concept coming from Mother?” asked another attendee, who pointed out that our daily challenge was how to translate Mother’s vision into reality. “Sketches are sketches, not an accurate picture. In the sketch you showed the zones are circles, but this hasn’t happened, and Mother changed from year to year.” 

At this point Michael had to leave to catch a plane. But he promised he would address any further questions at a follow-up meeting in October. 

Responses to the presentation

Not everyone was convinced by Michael’s explanations. In a resident’s open letter to Michael Bonke, written after the presentation evening, it was asked that he consider criteria other than speed of construction, such as responsible planning, trust, collaboration, beauty, and whether the proposed lake plan really is in accordance with Mother’s vision. 

In a subsequent General Meeting on the lake, Jan Imhoff, a structural engineer who has been involved with the construction of the test lake, also expressed concern about the truncation of the test lake studies. He pointed out that the building application for this lake specifies a set of parameters that should be tested once the test lake is completed, and only after these have been evaluated and, if necessary, modifications made to the overall design would the next stage of the lake begin. 

But the Matrimandir executives did not follow this, and went ahead with the next phase of the lake before the tests could be completed. Some of the questions which remain to be answered, he said, include whether the plastic lining can withstand the depth of water; if there is leakage how will it be detected and repaired, and how will the lake be filled? 

“There have been several suggestions about how these can be solved, but to date there is no practical or realistic solution,” he said, emphasising that these questions should be answered before starting the next section of the lake.

Giulio, a geologist, pointed out that, by his calculations, it would be impossible to fill and replenish a  lake of this size by a combination of direct rainwater and run-off, even from a wider catchment area than the oval, and there are doubts about when, or even if, the desalination plant will be operational.  (Another resident subsequently calculated that if the present planned water catchment area was doubled it would take over 21 years to fill the lake with rainwater alone.) So where will the rest of the water come from until that happens? He emphasised that we must never be tempted to use groundwater to help fill the lake because this would have a huge impact upon the aquifers which supply not only Auroville but the larger bioregion. 

He was also concerned about the danger of subsidence of underground aquifers as a result of the pressure of the lake and of the huge hill that would be constructed adjacent to it. And once an aquifer collapses, it is irreversible. “For me,” he said, “this risk has not been properly evaluated”.

Narad was given the work of building the Matrimandir gardens by Mother in 1967. “Today,” he said, “what is planned for the lake is the least beautiful option: no cascades, waterfalls, and where are ledges for water lilies and lotuses in this very severe design? Couldn’t there have been a way to keep the spiritual atmosphere of trees and not cut them down so viciously?” Mother, he said, spoke so much about the importance of beauty, but “I don’t see much beauty there now”. 

Gilles, our in-house historian, gave a brief overview of what Mother had originally wanted: an isolating zone around the central Park of Unity, which she described to Satprem as reservoirs to supply the city and to Huta as a lake. “But I don’t find the drawing Mother made for Huta relevant in the present circumstances because Roger was not informed of Huta’s drawing when he made his plans, which are quite different from Mother’s original conception.”  Nevertheless, Mother approved Roger’s plan which is why, said Gilles, we should beware of making dogma out of her original ideas. 

John Harper, one of the present Matrimandir executives, pointed out that a “huge” number of trees had been transplanted from the newly excavated lake area, with, so far, a more than 80% success rate. He felt that the lake issue was coming to the Matrimandir for a wider resolution of the difficulties confronting the community and “we have to strive to act from a true synthesis of views”.

The questionnaire

At the end of the meeting, participants were requested to send feedback on their views and on questions which still need to be answered by filling in a questionnaire. These would be communicated to the Matrimandir executives, who would be requested to address these concerns at the next open meeting.

273 people filled in the questionnaire. The main concerns that emerged were: the next phase of implementation is going on without completing the test lake and carrying out a review; a lack of planning concerning water management which will impact the wider bioregion; and lack of communication and information sharing by the Matrimandir executives and the lake team.  

Proposals to improve the situation included overwhelming requests for the Matrimandir executives to respect their mandate as representatives of the community and to listen to other voices, and for the test lake to be completed first and a proper assessment made before further development of the larger lake. There was also a call for an RAD to set minimum environmental standards, such as that no groundwater should be used for the lake project.   

Additionally, a group “who care deeply for the Matrimandir, it's gardens and its lake”, wrote an open letter to the Matrimandir executives regretting that the participatory process meant to build greater unity in building the Matrimandir had been “aborted”, because the executives “have started to hasten the manifestation of the lake, bulldozing through the existing gardens without any kind of prior consultation”.  The letter continued, “We are still hopeful that a collaborative way forward can be found if there is goodwill from all sides. This implies to pause, to sit together and to take the needed time to set (sic) things out.”

The second lake presentation

On 10th October, Michael made a second open presentation about the lake. To begin with he responded to some of the concerns voiced over the past weeks. He re-emphasized that HDPE has a very long lifetime and is chemically inert, and then pointed out that the lining of the lake would not only comprise of HDPE foil, but that this foil would be sandwiched between two layers of geo-fabric with 20-30 cms. of granite chips on top.  

Regarding what he considered the remote possibility of leakage, he said it could be detected by humidity sensors below the foil, or by aerial remote sensing – both of which options they are currently considering – but that it would also probably be visually detectable as the dust layer above the granite chips would be disturbed at that spot. As to sealing a leak, he pointed out that a small leak could be repaired by gluing an HDPE or plate over it, and if a larger repair was necessary that section of the lake could be isolated and pumped dry using the prefabricated ‘lego’ walls. 

He also emphasised that open water storage in the lake was more cost-effective and cheaper than constructing underground tanks. Financially, the desalination of water using green energy would be slightly cheaper than water harvesting, but both would be necessary to supply the lake. 

As to the big question of whether or not work on section two of the lake should be suspended until all the parameters to be tested in the test pond had been evaluated, he was clear that “We have to continue”. 

This is because, he said, the test pond has “fully answered” that we have the right material to seal a water body; that, with the help of an expert from Germany, we can handle the foiling; and that we can build the lake in sections. Questions which remain unanswered include how to maintain the water quality and required oxygen content to create a healthy underwater biotope, as well as how to control possible algae growth, but these can only be answered when the lake is complete. The test pond will provide no useful information about this now, he said. Therefore, “We cannot see one single reason why we would get wiser while waiting.” 

He concluded his talk by describing how the planned desalination plant could be a model for India because it would run on green energy and incorporate technologies which would prevent the brine produced from negatively affecting the sea-bed. 

The following question and answer session ran for almost three hours, indicating the level of interest, and, sometimes, heightened emotions, raised by the topic of the lake. 

Responses to the second presentation

Some of the questions focused on technical issues.  For example, Michael was asked if Harald Kraft’s plan for the lake and water management in Auroville had been put aside.  Harald had suggested that the lake be lined with specially prepared clay, that water catchment should be the highest priority and that the water collected should be stored in the top aquifer rather than in a lake. Michael said now they were not following Harald’s concept. Now they favoured HDPE foil over clay as the lake lining because it had performed best in the tests which included Harald’s clay option, and they were not considering direct infiltration into the aquifer because this could become saline soon and also because this aquifer can be drawn upon by outside interests. He also felt that desalination as well as water catchment would play an important part in providing the water for the lake. 

Jan still didn’t agree that the test lake has been fully tested. He felt it was essential to test the sealant at a full pressure of ten metres, while they could only test it at half that pressure now. He said they have also not yet tested the water quality, but he had noticed that the top layer in the test pond heated up considerably and there was no fish or plant life. He was also unconvinced that it would be easy to detect leakage in the large lake. While applauding the scientific work which had gone into the present concept, he proposed stopping work on the next phase for one year, by which time the monsoon rains would have filled the test pond closer to capacity. 

Michael replied that solutions can be found without stopping the work. Stopping the work now would mean a huge waste of resources and impetus, and, regarding the lining, HDPE has been successfully employed in many water bodies deeper than 10 metres.

Michael favours a centralised water-system with a run-off harvesting system and delivery system for the whole city because this, with the addition of a desalination plant, would, according to him, “be much more cost-effective than individualised run-off collection and storage.” However, more than one Aurovilian was concerned by the complexity of such a system where every piece needs to work perfectly and interface faultlessly with the rest, while a mistake in a project of this magnitude could have huge repercussions. 

The question of aesthetics, about how the lake would look, was another concern raised. “Technology is meant to be at the service of something higher, of spirit,” said one attendee. “And one of these fundamental principles is beauty, which I don’t feel is there at present.” It was pointed out that The Mother insisted on beauty and envisioned running water in the lake area, yet this design has no running water and a somewhat antiseptic feeling to it (Michael mentioned, for example, that leaves should be prevented from falling in the lake as this would negatively affect the water quality). 

Some attendees also seemed to feel, although this was hardly expressed, that Michael and his team are viewing the lake from an exclusively technological perspective, and not considering the subtler aspects of what a lake surrounding our spiritual centre should represent and embody. 

Michael agreed that “the beauty has not yet come; we have not touched this yet”. He mentioned that Mother had had a vision of tall trees in the park outside the lake, but his team has not fixed on any design for this area as they are focused upon making the lake. “The excavation for Matrimandir was also not beautiful,” observed another attendee, “but look at the final result. I’m sure it will be the same for the lake.”

Another area of concern was who would manage and be financially responsible for a project of this scale and complexity. Michael stated that “the financial liability of Auroville for this project is zero”. He pointed out that Auroville has given nothing towards the construction of the lake so far, that it had been financed through the resources of his company, Varuna Pvt. Ltd., and Varuna would continue to be responsible for the construction of the lake and running of the desalination plant. 

However, the planning and construction of a centralised water system in the city would be the responsibility of the Town Development Committee, not Varuna.  He also pointed out that managing the completed lake would be much easier and require far fewer human resources than are presently required for looking after the Matrimandir gardens. 

By far the majority of the question and answer session, however, was devoted to process, to the way in which Michael and his team is proceeding with the project. Michael has never made a secret of his aversion to Auroville’s community process, which he believes deadens initiative, needlessly complicates design (“if too many people are designing something then you over-design things”) and in the end blocks action.  Therefore, in regard to the lake, “If we can go full speed it will go fast: if we have to discuss everything it will take another 50 years. For twenty five years we have been discussing it. Now we just have to do it.”

A number of attendees supported him in this, along with his evaluation of the shortcomings of our collective process. “The meaning of the community process is to block,” said one.”In the process of implementing Mother’s vision we discover things, beautiful things are revealed to us. So we should go on with the lake, and it will be beautiful.”

However, another attendee stressed that Auroville is supposed to be a collective experiment, so does Michael’s go-it-alone attitude fit with this? Yet another said Mother made Auroville for human unity, so “we can’t bypass it now, it has to manifest. Human unity is a must at all stages.”

One Aurovilian admitted that our process of everybody having their say can be messy and long-winded, but when it works there is a feeling that Mother wants it.  “We can always enlarge our sense of beauty by working together,” said a designer. “People may bring some limitations, which can be frustrating, but this can be a stepping stone to a beauty which was previously unknown. In the past, there was much collaboration in the building of the Matrimandir, but not now. Now is the time to open the door for collaboration for the lake, because it concerns everybody, and many of us can contribute a lot.”

Earlier in the meeting, Michael had been asked to clarify his official relationship with Auroville and with the Matrimandir, and he responded, “As to what concerns the work, especially for the Matrimandir, I am proud to say that it is absolutely deregulated. I have no title, no contract, I am not an Aurovilian, I am absolutely nobody and that’s why I can do what I want.” Later, however, he qualified this statement by clarifying that “We are always open for participation and discussions as long as they are focused on the topic”.  And he pointed out that he is simply one member of a larger team. “There is no hierarchy, it is unregulated, I can’t just do what I want. There is no friction and we do it together.”

Finally, a long-term Aurovilian reminded the gathering that in the process of constructing the Matrimandir, at every step of the way some people were objecting, but others believed in Mother’s dream, and this is why it was completed so beautifully. Now is the time, she said, to put our trust in the vision developed by Michael and his team on the basis of indications given by The Mother, and to let them get on with the work. 

Some reflections

There was no formal outcome of the meeting. At one stage, Michael asked for a show of hands to indicate who thought the work should be continued, and who would prefer it to be stopped for the moment to allow more research and discussion. 

The room was more or less equally divided. 

In some ways this was unsurprising, because the lake controversy has revealed, once again, deep divisions within the community, some of which replicate those which emerged during the Crown controversy. On one side, for example, there is the fear that if the work is stopped now, valuable time and energy will be lost in creating Mother’s city, and on the other side pain that a beautiful environment has been devastated and fear that a project of this scale may involve major problems which may have repercussions we are unable to cope with. 

Bubbling below the surface are other differences. Opposition to present plans for the lake also involve a certain suspicion of technological solutions which may end up creating a somewhat sterile aesthetic unsuited to the Matrimandir, which is why some would prefer to pursue Harald Kraft’s more ‘natural’ solution. Others believe that the extensive research conducted by Michael’s team has revealed the option which serves Auroville best in terms of providing water for our future needs and protecting us against saline intrusion in the aquifers from which Auroville and the surrounding villages draw their water. And they have no doubt that the finalised lake will be beautiful.  

Then again, there is the fear of the over-centralisation of our water supply, because if there is a major failure it will have much more impact than in a decentralised system. Linked to this is the concern about putting too much power in too few hands. On the other hand, it is pointed out that such a system is far more cost- and energy-effective, as well as equitable, than individually managed systems. 

Above all, some fear that we are losing our right to have a say about what happens at ‘our’ Matrimandir, the soul of Auroville, for there is a sense that Michael’s well-financed and organized team has the capacity and energy to make major changes to its environment, and is presently doing so, without feeling a need to involve or consult the larger community. The speed and scale of the present work is also overwhelming to those used to the more sedate pace and human-scale development of Auroville over the past 50 years. 

Against this, his supporters point to Michael’s undoubted dedication to the Mother and to implementing what he believes is her guidance regarding this project, which they see as crucial for completing the Matrimandir. And, like Michael, they have grown tired of the slow pace of development of the city. 

It cannot be accidental, as John Harper pointed out, that all these differences have now become focussed around the Matrimandir, for the Matrimandir is a dynamic spiritual centre which exposes and throws our differences into stark relief in order that they may reach a higher resolution. And Sri Aurobindo reminds us that the greater the contradictions, even to ‘irreconcilable opposition’, of the elements involved, the “stronger is the spur and it drives towards a more subtle and puissant order than can normally be the result of a less difficult endeavour”. This is why many of us believe that if something can be resolved at our centre, in a truly integral way, much else will be positively affected.   

Mother once described the spirit of Auroville as “the art of building unity out of complexity”. This, she said, is very difficult because it involves everything and everybody finding their true place. 

The lake is giving us one more opportunity to truly understand what this means and then to manifest it.  Are we ready?