November 6th, 2023 : With the objective of contributing to rural development, the CSR team of Hirmi Cement Works, our integrated manufacturing unit at Chhattisgarh revived a community pond in Paraswani village located in the proximity of the mines in the unit. Located at the entry of Paraswani village in Simga tehsil of Balodabazar district in Chhattisgarh, this pond had served as the lifeline to serve the daily needs of the villagers. They relied on it for drinking water, agriculture, cattle rearing and fishing. However, over time the embankment at the periphery of the pond had weakened, leading to a significant decline in the pond’s water storage capacity. This led to acute water shortage in the village, particularly during the summer.
With the purpose of reviving the pond, the unit CSR team soldered its periphery with the help of boulders to strengthen the embankment in the month of June 2023. The team also anchored seven large trees to the embankment to help prevent soil erosion. The revived pond has benefitted over a thousand villagers by making water available throughout the year including during summer. The rejuvenated pond has supported the villagers to pursue farm-based livelihoods, such as double cropping and cattle rearing throughout the year. There have been added benefits such as the availability of drinking water and increased livelihood opportunities like fishing.
Ripple effects
The strengthened embankment helped raise the pond’s water storage capacity from 36,000 cubic metres to 49,000 cubic metres. This went a long way in recharging the groundwater of the village, making sufficient water available in the wells and handpumps near the pond and assuring drinking water to the villagers throughout the year. With water available for irrigation even during summer, 700 farmers can reap the benefit of double cropping (rabi and kharif crops). This will pave the way for more farm-based livelihoods like agriculture and fishing that will help the villagers to become independent.
UltraTech undertakes its social initiatives under the aegis of The Aditya Birla Centre for Community Initiatives and Rural Development with Mrs. Rajashree Birla as its Chairperson and anchored by Dr Pragnya Ram as the Group Head for CSR. UltraTech's CSR focus areas are education, healthcare, sustainable livelihoods, community infrastructure and social causes. UltraTech reaches out to more than 1.6 million beneficiaries in over 500 villages in 16 states across India.
