Tata Motors, reinforcing its commitment to water conservation and rural development, has signed an MoU with the Maharashtra government to restore 1,000 water bodies across 20 water-stressed districts. In 2024, the company rejuvenated 356 water bodies through the Gal Mukt Dharan Gal Yukt Shivar Yojana, partnering with the Soil & Water Conservation Department, NAAM Foundation, and local communities.
Strengthening its collaboration, Tata Motors intends to scale the water conservation initiative to 20 districts in the state, including the water deprived regions of Vidarbha and Marathwada. The proposed collaboration aims to rejuvenate and revive 1000 water bodies in Amravati, Latur, Chandrapur, Nagpur, Nanded, Parbhani, Akola, Gadchiroli, Yavatmal, Dharashiv, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Ahilya Nagar, Sangli, Solapur, Pune, Palghar, Thane & other districts of the state. NAAM Foundation will be the implementation partner for the programme.
Speaking on the initiative, Priya Khan, Officer on Special Duty – Chief Minister’s Office, Government of Maharashtra states, “The Government of Maharashtra launched the ‘Gal Mukt Dharan, Gal Mukt Shivar Yojana’ to increase water capacity of existing dams and water bodies. This programme has evolved into a people’s movement thanks to the invaluable support of our partner organisations like Tata Motors and NAAM Foundation. Together, we are not just restoring water bodies; we are fostering resilience and sustainability to reduce the impact of recurring droughts in the state.”
Ganesh Thorat, CEO – NAAM Foundation, adds, “The NAAM Foundation began addressing Maharashtra’s acute water shortage in 2015. Our partnership with Tata Motors and the Government of Maharashtra is a significant milestone towards these efforts. Last year we collectively expanded our work to ten districts. We are happy to see that the positive impact of the water conservation efforts will now reach more districts.”
In 2024, Tata Motors and NAAM Foundation successfully rejuvenated and revived 356 water bodies, excavating ~ 60 lakh cubic meters of silt across 10 districts of Pune, Palghar, Thane, Satara, Dhule, Solapur, Chandrapur, Ahmednagar, Beed and Latur. This collaborative effort has created a capacity of approximately 7000 million litres of water, benefitting 7,000 farmers and significantly raised the water table and improved access to potable water in rural Maharashtra.