The river Tamas, a tributary of the Ganges flowing through Satna district in the Central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, would help keep the surrounding villages fertile and provide water for agriculture. However, every summer the river would dry up, leading to the depletion of groundwater and the drying up of borewells in the surrounding villages. Acute scarcity of water took a severe toll on the agriculture and the livelihoods of the local people during the summer season.
Taking cognizance of the situation, Maihar Cement Works, UltraTech’s integrated manufacturing unit, located in the Satna district implemented a water conservation project as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The CSR project started with a baseline survey that revealed that the construction of a check dam would help increase the groundwater level in ten villages locally.
Over a period of two years a 4.7-metre-wide, 36-metre-long, and 3-metre-high check dam of a storage capacity of 48 lakh gallon was built on the Tamas river at Sonwari village. The check dam provides year-long access to water to over 25,000 people in these ten villages.
With a sustainable source of water for agriculture, local farmers are now able to cultivate crops in multiple seasons. This helps boost agricultural productivity, food security, and the farmers’ incomes. Access to water stimulates socio-economic development of the local communities leading to enhanced employment opportunities and improved standard of living.