In November 2018, UDC was invited to work in collaboration with Pitchandikulam Forest Consultants to assist in developing a research-backed idea of what the future could hold for the Siruseri Watershed region. Towards this, UDC’s role was specifically
• To design and execute an outreach and community engagement strategy
• To identify the immediate and long-term needs of the resident community who will be both the beneficiaries as well as the custodians of the interventions on the ground
• To study the socio-cultural and socio-economic perspective of Siruseri
• To support the ecological master planning process for the Siruseri watershed region through a participatory planning approach

In essence, the mission for the project is to work in collaboration with the community; to listen and seek to understand the character, stories, values, and goals so as to be able to guide the future of Siruseri through a watershed restoration approach.

Project team: Vidhya Mohankumar, Abinaya Rajavelu, Eshwar S.Ve and Srivardhan Rajalingam
Partner Organisation: Pitchandikulam Forest Consultants, Auroville