PepsiCo India and Alternative Development Initiatives (ADI) facilitate improved ‘water security’ and enhance livelihoods of rural communities in Nelamangala
Nelamangala: PepsiCo India as a part of its ongoing Sustainable Water Resource Development and Management (SWRDM) program, today handed over the newly expanded and rejuvenated water harvesting structure with a capacity of 69,636 cubic metres, in Tonchinkuppe village in Budhihal Panchayat at Nelamangala, to the local community.
The newly expanded and rejuvenated water harvesting structure in Tonchinkuppe village was inaugurated by Shri T B Jayachandra, Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs & Minor Irrigation, Government of Karnataka in the presence of other dignitaries including Shri K. Srinivasamurthy, Member of Legislative Assembly, Nelamangala & Shri Niteen Pradhan-Vice President-Supply Chain & Operations and Smt. Neelima Dwivedi-Vice President Corporate Affairs from PepsiCo India.
As part of the SWRDM program, PepsiCo includes maintenance and rejuvenation of 3 ponds in Tonachinakuppe in Budhihal Panchayat and Hosur, Thorekempahalli both in T.Begur Panchayat. The program supported a total agricultural area of around 250 acres and improved groundwater recharge supporting other water requirements positively impacting 350 households in T Begur and Budhihal Panchayats.
The total estimated potential water recharge created across the three water harvesting structures in T Begur and Budhihal Panchayat is 1.2 billion litres. As a result of these initiatives, PepsiCo India has been able to replenish more than 4 times the water it has consumed in its manufacturing operations in Nelamangala.*
Speaking on the occasion, Niteen Pradhan- Vice President Supply Chain & Operations, PepsiCo India said, “As a part of our Performance with Purpose goal, PepsiCo is committed to working with local communities around its plant in Nelamangala to replenish water resources and improve livelihoods in a sustainable manner. The SWRDM program has revived the local economy of these villages by improving income levels and slowly moving from water scarcity to improved water security. The impact of the programme is visible in the savings of the women in these communities and the recent expansion of one of the ponds.”
This increase in agricultural activities, due to increased ground water availability is enabling farmers to grow a second crop of vegetables after paddy, leading to increase in crop yields & better economic returns. The income generation activities for women Self Help Groups (SHGs), as part of the community engagement aspect of the SWRDM programme, also enables contribution of additional incomes to the households leading to better socio- economic benefits for the communities. The SWRDM programme covers communities across four villages namely Hosur, Thorekempahalli, T.Begur (all in T.Begur Panchayat) and Tonachinakuppe in Budhihal Panchayat.
*Independently assured by Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP as of end 2015
Funded by PepsiCo India, the SWRDM program was conceived by Alternative Development Initiatives (ADI) – a Development Organization, in active consultation with the panchayat and the local communities in and around the plant in Nelamangala. The program has multiple cornerstones associated with it to create sustainable livelihoods for the local communities through replenishing ground water, leading to intensification of agriculture activities and farmers being able to undertake multiple cropping cycles, due to availability of water for irrigation.
In addition to water conservation projects, ADI also conducted over 6500 person days of training in 2016 for farmers and women in these villages. A total of 178 women members organized into 13 self-help groups in the project area have become economically independent by obtaining loans exceeding 29 lakhs and saving more than 15 lakhs in nationalized banks; for income generation activities like animal husbandry and candle making.
The trainings covered topics such as water conservation & its management, appropriate agricultural practices, maintenance of rainwater harvesting structures, importance of soil testing, animal rearing, embroidery and candle making among others.