Press and media
Initiatives against water scarcity and salinity in Western India
Water scarcity is an issue in the Western Indian state of Gujarat. Ambuja Cement’s initiatives contribute to solving it – tangible improvements have been achieved.
Bordered by the Arabian Sea, Kodinar, the Western Indian municipality in Junagadh district in the state of Gujarat, has long been blessed by abundant crops of vegetables, fruit and other high value cash crops. But water – once plentiful resource - had become scarce. Average rainfall that once was around 800mm per year, started to decrease steadily in the last couple of years.
Kodinar does not have perennial streams or rivulets which can sustain the water table and the hydro-geology also added to the problem: The aquifers, water bearing layers of rock, sand or gravel, are erratic in composition and hence do not have uniform water yields. As a result, the quality of surface and groundwater was deteriorating at an alarming rate. Irrigated areas without a compensatory effort towards water harvesting were widening. The region was thirsting.
Additionally, the intrusion of sea water into the fresh ground water due to the depletion of the water table from excessive over-pumping became a serious problem for the groundwater conditions. Farmers had no choice but to use the saline ground water. Something had to be done to preserve and renew the most valuable asset: water.
Water Management: Ambuja Cement Foundations’ multi-pronged initiative
Ambuja Cement Foundation (ACF), the Corporate Social Responsibility wing of Ambuja Cements, undertook various measures to improve water management. Its interventions combined local improvisations suited to the geology and physiography of the area and the needs of each of the target populations.
ACF has constructed over 165 check dams so far, small barriers built across the direction of water flow on shallow rivers and streams to prevent rainwater from flowing away. These structures retain excess water flow during the monsoon in a small catchment area and allow the water to seep into the ground. These dams have prolonged the availability of water in the area after the rainy season from four to eight months.
Check dams create storage across the direction of the water flow.
Small pits in rectangular, square or circular shape (“percolation-cum-recharge wells”), constructed with brick or stony masonry walls and deep holes at regular intervals increase the natural subsurface percolation rate and thus augment the groundwater resources.
A percolation well in Valadar village in Kodinar taluka.
An innovative design of a recharge well is easy enough to be built by individual farmers. Pipes collect rain water and divert it into the open wells. The additional sweet water helps to support fodder cultivation.
Direct recharge well: so easy that any farmer can build it.
Link canals, artificial waterways, were constructed for irrigation. They are suitable for the distribution of water in water-deficient areas and to augment water resources.
Spreading channel from Panch Pipalva TR to Sodam Bandhara.
Low-cost rooftop rainwater harvesting structures provide sweet water for individual home owners or a housing complex. Rainwater is collected through pipes on the edge of the roof. The pipes channel the water into an underground tank. The structures are easy to maintain and to be kept clean.
Rooftop rainwater harvesting structures in use.
Furthermore, ACF trained farmers have to amend their cropping patterns and planted around one million trees.
Tangible successes
ACF’s interventions towards water management in the region have brought a variety of improvements in the lives of the villagers.
Change detection studies have revealed a substantial increase in the water storage capacity of the region. The water table in the area has risen significantly, crops have been diversified and irrigation patterns have changed for the better. The overall agricultural productivity of the region has doubled. Instead of only one harvest, two to three harvests are now possible per year.
Villagers having a cup of tea.
ACF’s projects have benefited an area of 26,250 hectares and more than 15,000 farmers. The water management and conservation methods initiated by ACF are sustainable in the long term and can be replicated in any other region or state.
The Ambuja Cement is present in 19 locations across 10 states, among them Gujarat.
