Coca-Cola India Foundation (Anandana) launches its first Water Conservation Project in Mahoba District, Bundelkhand
The Bundelkhand region comprises 70,000 square kilometers in the central plains of India (bridging northern Madhya Pradesh and southern Uttar Pradesh states). It is one of the most water stressed areas in the country and has been reeling under pronged drought conditions for the last eight years.
Life of the population living in this region is characterized by poor survival chances, landlessness, malnutrition, environmental pollution and social exclusion. With land-based resources becoming scarce and degraded every year there is a huge gap between people’s needs and the actual availability of resources, primarily water.
Severe water shortages are threatening the very existence of some villages in the region with the populace having to migrate to river banks for survival during the hot summer months.
According to the latest estimates, 46 per cent of the population of Mahoba (a water stressed district in Bundelkhand) lives below the poverty line. The Mahoba district lists in the 100 most backward districts of the country as identified by the Planning Commission of India. Low and erratic rainfall, coupled with severe deforestation, has resulted in significant lowering of water table in the area, which was once covered with thick deciduous forests with abundant biodiversity.
With a view to achieve its objectives to augment and replenish ground water in severely water stressed and backward areas, the Foundation has established its first ever partnership with HARITIKA amongst many other NGOs. Under this arrangement, HARITIKA has constructed four check dams in three villages, Narwara, Pathari and Saithwara of Jaitpur Block of the district, preventing rain water from flowing away into the rivers.
In line with its commitment to promote water conservation in these locations and to review the work done by HARITIKA, Members of the Foundation Advisory Board, and the Board of Directors, visited the project site in villages Pathari and Narwara on October 26, 2010..
At Pathari, the fully operational check dam was inaugurated by Justice J S Verma, Chairman, Foundation Advisory Board & Former Chief Justice of India and Ms Dia Mirza, actor and social worker,
in the presence of other Board Members comprising of Mr. Bunker Roy, Founder, Barefoot College, Tilonia; Dr Mithu Alur, Founder, The Spastics Society of India; Mr. Roshan Seth, actor & Social Worker, Dr Shyama Chona, Founder, Tamanna Society. The team also comprised the Board of Directors Mr. Atul Singh, President & CEO, Coca-Cola India Inc., Mr. Joel Peres, Senior Vice President – Legal, Mr. Sanjeev Kumar, Vice President – Finance and Mr. U Narendra Kina, Company Secretary of Coca-Cola India Inc. The Foundation team included Mr. Yogesh Chandra, Chief Executive Officer, Ms Parvati Krishnan, Program Manager and Ms Bindu Vijayan, Project Coordinator.
The members were informed that the capacity to conserve water through these check dams was 250,000 m3 and that this would help irrigate 1000 acres of land besides providing other livelihood needs of the villagers.
Thereafter, members were taken to village Narwara where a meeting was organized with around 1000 villagers and the beneficiaries of the project. The huge gathering which also included the household women was a clear indication of the community’s satisfaction about the development in their villages.
In his special remarks, Justice J S Verma, Chairman of the Advisory Board emphasized the need for villagers, especially women folks, to come forward to mitigate water related problems in the region. He also gave them a ray of hope highlighting the fact that there were active and dynamic NGOs who were helping the communities to stand on their own feet. He expressed his happiness to see the quality of work being done by HARITIKA to enable people to mitigate water shortages and thereby develop the region on the economic front.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Atul Singh expressed his happiness at the launch of the water conservation project by HARITIKA with the help of the community. He sought the people’s long-term commitment to make the project sustainable. He also reaffirmed the commitment of the Coca-Cola India Foundation to do everything possible to help fight the specter of water famine in the region.
Mr. Yogesh Chandra, while sharing his remarks, encouraged and requested the villagers to offer their views on the project. Villagers were very enthusiastic and assured their long-term support to ensure project sustainability with true dedication. In fact they expressed their gratitude to the Coca-Cola India Foundation for providing water to the villages and shared their hope that they could live for some more years peacefully. The village Sarpanches had also offered their full-fledged support to make the projects sustainable.
HARITIKA was introduced to the Foundation by the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy, Government of India with whom the Foundation has signed an MOU to promote renewable energy in the select backward locations of India. HARITIKA, with the support of the India Foundation, is expanding the project to reach out to 12 more villages within the same location.