Anand Mahindra: Even before the end of March, the effects of water crisis are becoming visible in the cities and villages of the South Indian states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Recently there was water crisis in Bengaluru. However, last year, amidst possibilities and apprehensions, the average rainfall in the country remained decent. Still, the ground water level does not seem to be improving nor is rain water able to accumulate in the reservoirs. Meanwhile, a good news from the automobile sector is that India’s leading two-wheeler manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra has been working for the last 20 years on water harvesting and water conservation in reservoirs along with solving the water crisis in Zaheerabad, Telangana. Better results have also started emerging. The company has also made a short film regarding this achievement, which is going viral on social media. Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra himself has been discussing on social media for the last several days. Come, let us know how Mahindra & Mahindra is working to overcome the water crisis in Zaheerabad in Medak district of Telangana and for water harvesting and water conservation in the reservoirs.
Mahindra has been working in Zaheerabad since 20
According to a report on Mahindra & Mahindra’s website MahindraRise.com, the company has been trying to overcome the water crisis in the drought-affected area of Telangana, Zaheerabad, with the support of the government, for the last 20 years. This area has been facing challenges like drought for years. The vehicle manufacturing company is not only trying to overcome the water crisis in this area, but is also taking initiatives for rain water harvesting and water conservation by building check dams etc. and in the already available natural reservoirs. The biggest thing is that the positive impact of his initiative is also visible.
People did not want to marry their daughters.
The report said that there was a water crisis in drought-hit Zaheerabad and that due to lack of water, no parent wanted to get their daughter married in this area. Today the situation has changed so much that earlier the groundwater level in this area had reached 137 meters below, now people get drinking water only at a depth of 18 meters.
Mahindra started such an initiative
Seeing the water crisis in Zaheerabad, Mahindra & Mahindra first started working on rainwater harvesting, because the company needed water to run the production plant. Along with this, he made arrangements to store water in natural reservoirs. During monsoon, the average annual rainfall in this area was only 33 percent. That means the total rainfall in the entire year was only 30 mm, which was a big challenge for Mahindra. To overcome the water crisis, Mahindra Group started working with the cooperation of the local people and on the basis of their beliefs.
Watershed development project launched
To overcome the water crisis in drought-hit Zaheerabad, Anand Mahindra’s Mahindra Group started a watershed project in this area in collaboration with CII-ITC Center of Excellence, which was evaluated by IBBI (Indian Business and Biodiversity Initiative). Based on this assessment, the Natural Capital Action Plan (NCAP) was prepared to conserve and enhance biodiversity and agricultural products. But, one of the biggest hurdles in the evaluation of IBBI was that it was a bit complex to operationalize the automotive sector, biodiversity and ecosystem services. The increase of invasive species in greenbelt areas and monoculture of greenbelts increased this complexity. The result was that it created a business risk for the production plant set up for vehicle production.
Also Read: Auto driver used Desi Jugad like this, people started saying – ‘Engineer-Engineer’
Measures taken to increase ground water level
Still, Mahindra Group did not step back and to overcome the water crisis in this drought-hit area, it started working on increasing the groundwater level. For this, it started the process of Ground Water Recharge System (RWHS) i.e. groundwater recharge through reservoirs. Along with this, dirty brown water started being treated and made suitable for use. Apart from this, effective use of groundwater resources was increased. Not only this, initiatives like check dam, rock fill dam, field bunding and BBF land management were started under NCAP in this drought affected area. Today, Mahindra & Mahindra raised the water level in Zaheerabad area from a low level of 137 meters to a high level of 18 meters through the construction and enhancement of fresh reservoirs.
Also Read: World Water Day: Anand Mahindra shares unique wedding video