ACC Trust Revives Old Water Resources for Better Livelihoods

MUMBAI:
ACC Trust, the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm of ACC Limited has been consistently making collaborative efforts for enhancing availability of water in the rural communities in 9 villages of Chandrapur & Yavatmal District of Maharashtra.

As water is vital for survival of life on the earth; adequate water is needed for irrigation, power generation, industries, wild life and domestic purposes too. Especially when it comes to villages, water is the fundamental source, as the villagers totally depend upon it for their livelihoods. Hence, supply of adequate drinking water and irrigation water sources becomes necessary to ensure the health of their crops and livestock.

Sridhar Balakrishnan, MD and CEO, ACC Limited, said “At ACC Trust, we have consistently worked to enhance the lives of rural people by addressing their crucial needs such as access to water through water conservation programmes. Our focus on water resource management, especially in water scarce areas, will continue to grow further through persistent interventions and collaboration with the local communities. The Company adopts a holistic approach which ensures sustainable management of water resources.”

ACC Trust implemented the community interaction intervention model, which began with Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) exercises all over the potential project areas. Following PRA, agricultural production and practices, as well as the water sources through which irrigation networks were managed. In the early phases of the project, a community mobilisation-focused group was formed, along with Water User Association (WUA) committees, to identify and understand the needs and priorities of farmers.

ACC Trust proposed certain structures for implementation, firstly, construction and repair of Cement Nala Bund (CNB) that helps in harvesting rain water which help farmers to take double crops and grow more Rabi crops. Another structure involves promotion & installation of drip / micro irrigation to control the flood irrigation and lastly, farm pond & pond de-siltation was proposed.

Through these structures, availability of water increased for irrigation for 3 months especially after monsoons, enabling 671 hectors. It increased agriculture area for the nearest farmers and agricultural activity by 40 percent. The farmers were able to grow Rabi crops and the productivity also increased up to 7-8 Quintal.

The wells constructed near CNB used to be dry before, but now it is loaded with water up to June, which resulted in decrease in migration from villages and increase in accessibility for the cattle. Furthermore, the ground water level has been increased from 150 ft. to 180 ft. The village which is at the tail-end of the district was completely rain fed since the last 1-2 years, now has water availability after the monsoons. The Company’s initiatives brought around 120 hectares of land under irrigation.

This initiative has grown in dimension and in line with ACC’s philosophy of building prosperity for communities, we will continue to amplify its water conservation efforts.