HOW WE BECAME WATER POSITIVE
- Anand Sundaram
- Sep 19
- 2 min read
When Arbor Road Estate was first envisioned, the land was little more than rock, dust, and a distant promise of potential. The dream was bold, to transform this barren terrain into a thriving biodiversity hotspot.
Five borewells were drilled, some reaching depths of 1,300 feet. Only one yielded a modest trickle. Clearly, the aquifers were exhausted and the solution lay not in extraction but in redesigning how the land captured and held water. Through persistence, innovation, and deep respect for natural systems, the land has been reshaped and restored as a forested haven.
The Blue Plan was a comprehensive water strategy centred around a one-acre rainwater harvesting pond with a capacity of 50 lakh litres. During construction, an early monsoon filled the unlined pond completely, forcing a delay of two years in lining but proving its potential.
Above: Image 1 - Pond being excavated 2015; Image 2 - Unexpected rains filled up pond - 2016; Image 3 - Pond being lined -2018
To ensure rainwater did not escape, a network of swales and recharge pits was created. These channels and vertical sinks slow stormwater, guide it across the land, and allow it to percolate underground, steadily reviving groundwater levels.
Water alone could not bring change. Over 18,000 plantings were introduced. These trees stabilized soil, improved infiltration, created habitats for wildlife, and reduced evaporation.
Irrigation water use is rationed out through 26 IoT-controlled irrigation circuits, which run mainly at night. Using drip lines and micro-sprinklers, they optimize coverage while minimizing evaporation losses. An RO plant provides for drinking water across the estate as also for the families of the staff. And the reject water is promptly used for irrigation.
Percolation and recharge pits
Beyond the main reservoir, smaller ponds and water features were added. Together with the forests, gardens and orchards, they have cooled the microclimate by about 3°C compared to surrounding areas, enhancing both ecological balance and visitor experience.
The reborn landscape shows tangible results:
· Groundwater levels have risen from 1,300 feet to around 400 feet.
· Water bodies now retain water all year-round.
· Nearly 90% green cover across formerly barren land.
· A cooler, more resilient microclimate that is home to endemic species of flora & fauna, migratory birds and even some wildlife like wild boar, mongoose and hare
Today, Arbor Road Estate is a case study in regeneration and an eco-luxury retreat where visitors experience its ponds-forests-gardens, birds-bees-butterflies and colourful blossoms without imagining its rocky past. Years of vision and commitment have turned it into a carbon sink, a rich biodiverse eco-system, a water positive land —a living demonstration of how water, when wisely stewarded, can bring life back to a dry rocky place.
To experience this first hand, visit www.arborestate.in or call 90592 22612
