MUMBAI (India CSR): Marico Limited, one of India’s leading FMCG companies, organised a ‘Women Water Meet’ at Umale village in Jalgaon district, Maharashtra, under the Paanishala initiative of the Jalashay Jalsamruddhi Programme. Held in alignment with International Women’s Day and World Water Day, the initiative celebrated the pivotal, yet often under-acknowledged role women play in water management, agriculture, and household decision‑making.
The event brought together 110+ women, including members of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), ASHA workers, and Self‑Help Groups (SHGs) representatives from seven project villages. Designed as a cross‑learning platform, the meet enabled women to exchange insights, experiences, and grassroots solutions focused on water conservation and sustainable water use.
Interactive sessions covered scientific information sharing on aquifer mapping, groundwater awareness, and community-led water management, supported by learning-based games and group discussions to reinforce key conservation practices. A symbolic hand‑imprint activity by the participants formed a large water‑drop motif, representing collective ownership and unity in water stewardship. The event concluded with a collective pledge to advance the water‑saving practices introduced through the Jalashay Jalsamruddhi Programme, followed by a community lunch and distribution of small tokens to acknowledge women as catalysts of change.
Commenting on the initiative, Amit Bhasin, Chief Legal Officer, Group General Counsel, and Secretary of the CSR Committee, Marico Limited, said, “Empowering women in water governance is essential to building resilient communities. The Jalashay Jalsamruddhi Programme is rooted in the belief that sustainable water management must be community-led, with women’s voices and leadership at its core. Through projects like the Women Water Meet under the Paanishala initiative, women from across villages came together to deepen their understanding of groundwater, exchange knowledge, and strengthen their role as custodians of this vital resource. By placing gender equity at the heart of water stewardship, we are catalysing scalable, community-driven impact, where informed participation today shapes healthier, more sustainable ecosystems for tomorrow.”
Marico’s Jalashay initiative is a comprehensive water stewardship programme designed to replenish more water than the company consumes annually. Active across Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, and Gujarat, the programme drives community-led interventions such as water assessments, participatory budgeting, and the promotion of sustainable farming practices including drip irrigation and rainwater harvesting. To date, Jalashay has created over 487 crore litres of water potential, positively impacting 4,000+ farmers and their families.
Through its dual approach, demand-side interventions (Paanishala) focusing on efficient water use, and supply-side interventions (Jal Samruddhi) aimed at groundwater recharge and water storage, the Jalashay initiative addresses environmental, social, and economic challenges in water-stressed regions while contributing to SDGs 6 and 12. Under Paanishala, demand‑side efforts include promoting efficient irrigation practices and agricultural reforms such as drip irrigation and climate‑appropriate crop selection; building water‑resilient communities through capacity‑building programs, training, and water budgeting; and creating behavioural and structural change by offering incentives for farmers to adopt water‑saving technologies while implementing penalties, infrastructure upgrades, and awareness initiatives to reduce wastage and encourage responsible water use. On the supply side, Jal Samruddhi focuses on identifying and developing new water sources through groundwater recharge and rainwater harvesting, increasing water‑storage capacities via tanks, ponds, and aquifer recharge, and strategically diverting water to priority assets to strengthen supply in critical areas. It also leverages technology to treat and make previously unusable water potable through methods such as desalination and filtration.
(India CSR)
