Cyclone Fengal

The Matrimandir, the Lake and the Garden works: an update

An interview with John Harper, By Carel

Scale visualisation of the Matrimandir and its Gardens, surrounded by the Lake and connected by a bridge originating from the Reception Pavilion

The January 2025 issue of Auroville Today focused on the aftermath of Cyclone Fengal, which breached the Lego block dam separating sections 1 and 2 of the Matrimandir Lake.

Cyclone Fengal hits Auroville

Feature, By Carel

The ‘Lego block’ wall between sections 1 and 2 of the Matrimandir Lake broke in the middle and at the banks

On November 25, meteorologists of the India Meteorological Department observed a deep depression forming in the Bay of Bengal. Their initial forecast was that the depression would weaken and that a cyclone would not form, as the depression was moving at the unusually slow speed of 3 kmph, far below the typical cyclone speed of 10-12 kmph.

Uneven rains

News in brief

This was a year of uneven rains. No less than 8 months were rain-deficient, but the year was bookended by exceptional rains in January and December including, of course, an all-time record rain of 54 cm over the 24 hours of 30 November/1 December, courtesy of Cyclone Fengal.