There is a windmill standing at the pointReturn site right now. It’s pumping water from about 120′ below the surface. It shows all signs of being a reliable source of water. It was erected just over two weeks ago. It didn’t pump steadily right away and so took some tweaking before it would. Even now it’s under watch. But the charm and power of the wind are already on view. …read on

On April 08, I began the day at 5.30am, picked up Venu and his three assistants and a car load of materials and equipment. Messrs Palani and Sridhar of Aureka [-the windmill suppliers] arrived from Auroville at 9am, Raju [-the pointReturn staff] at 10.30 from Chennai and Babu [-the reliable Reddiar] with Senthil [-the laughing lad] came from Peruveli. The day ended at 11pm for me but by then the windmill foundation had been cast and four large cement pipes had been aligned to form a culvert in the storm water canal at the western entrance to pointReturn. …read on

We struck water at 20′ and went on to drill down to 200′. There’s a 6.5″ bore well at pointReturn now. So, the hiatus has been broken and there’s some action at last. One line of decisions can be taken: the windmill is now on order. …read on

Discovery of a groundwater aquifer makes the process of developing wastelands faster than with stored rain water. And since the cost of a dug well is high, a small fortune rides on getting the aquifer location right. In rural India, the task of identifying an adequate source of ground water to feed a well has traditionally been left to water diviners. …read on

The two pit latrine has been proven to be an ideal system for mass sanitation and is widely being promoted in India. But sitting in urban India, try getting some information on how to go about putting one togther and you will hit a wall. Where can you buy the special pans that are central to it? Not easy at all. Maybe my experience will be of some use to others considering building one. …read on

The quickest way to fall in love with vetiver [ vetiveria zizanioides ] is to count the many ecologically gentle ways in which this simple, hardy, Cinderella grass can serve and better our lives. …read on