Every drop is precious

The efforts are not limited to the surroundings. Even within the brewery premises, interventions have taken place to reduce fresh water input in production of each hectolitre of beer. Waste water coming out of production is recycled. Tree plantation and cleanliness drives are regularly organised.

Partnering with The Energy And Resources Institute (TERI), UBL is implementing eight such ‘Pond Rejuvenation’ programmes across Ludhiana, Patiala and Alwar districts. The selected sites were waste water pools and scientific assessment was done with GIS techniques and available data on rainfall and soil type to study the ground water recharge potential.

They were dewatered, cleaned and landscaped. Injection wells were built for groundwater recharge. Now, waste water does not find its way into the ponds. Through the Pond Rejuvenation project, estimated water recharge potential is about 19,51,475 KL per year with 13,614 beneficiaries in eight villages.

The pond in Katari Kalan has a 1, 62,000 KL capacity. Water is used for irrigating almost 500 acres. With solar lights keeping the area well-lit at night, it is a safe place to move through in the wee hours. A clean cremation ground is in the same complex. “Property prices have also risen around this zone now. They were low earlier,” smiles Manpreet, Village Development Committe and youth club member.

The Village Pond Intervention is done with community participation as UBL sees long-term benefits when the stakeholders are involved from the beginning. A Village Development Committee (VDC) is formed, which comprises female members as well. The group is responsible for providing inputs and maintains the project once it is handed over. Messages related to water conservation are painted on the walls giving a constant reminder of this need.

At Mundiya Khurd, Ludhiana, children are busy playing on the swings. This pond complex is the heart of the community. With a recharge capacity of 35,000 KL per year, work is ongoing. The VDC keeps a diligent watch on the area. The families also work on keeping it green.

Pinder Kaur and Paramjot Kaur, two VDC members, are very happy as now they have a healthy green space. “People come for their morning and evening walks here,” smile the two ladies. With approximately 500 homes, this community faced many health hazards earlier. “People dumped their garbage here and the area used to stink. Now, it’s the best place in our community. People come from other neighbourhoods to study this as they also want to develop a similar space.” To create more green space, the community willingly shifted an anganwadi from the area to another part of the village. They are going to keep the area clean is their vow.

The walls of the pond are strengthened with grass. Bio-diversity flourishes as water birds hop around. Some trees have been planted and there is plan for more green cover. TERI hopes to hand over all the projects by 2020.

Surrounded by the scenic Haider Ali, Omkareshwar and Nandi hills, Sultanpet, near Bengaluru, is a quiet village where water is a rare commodity. The water levels are below 1,000 ft, informs Muniayappa, who lives there. Sultanpet comes under the Nandi Gram Panchayat. The three other villages under this panchayat are Nandi, Saigat Kadirenhalli and Madagu Hasahalli.

With most households relying on borewells and farming becoming a problem, UBL has partnered with United Way of Bengaluru for water conservation here. The surrounding Nandi Lake has a capacity of 4 lakh KL and is spread across an area of 38 acres. With highways being constructed in the area, the debris blocked the water channels. This resulted in dense overgrowth of bushes and small trees. Other malpractices included illegal soil excavation and land encroachment.

United Way did a need assessment in 2017-18 and the work to revive the lake is on. The bushes and trees were cleared, land was levelled and the three water channels were cleared. A 600 m embankment was constructed to strengthen the bund. Electric poles were shifted. Once completed, the project will result in increased cultivation (20-50%) on 50 acres of land around the lake. The cost of cultivation will also come down, directly benefiting 500 small farmers.

The NGO also has plans to plant 3,000 trees along the embankment which would add green cover and beautify the area, making it a hotspot for tourists. Around 200 trees have been planted already. There are 14 such lakes in this region. With these efforts, the belt will be greener in the future. The area has almost 100 bore wells and Muniyappa is hopeful that they will soon be recharged along with the village well. “Almost 100 hectares of land will be cultivable,” he emphasises on the foreseen benefits.

United Way has also built 185 individual rooftop rainwater harvesting units. The goal is 350 units. Each tank has a capacity of 4,000 litres. A hand pump is installed too. Muniraju's family of four can now store water to meet 15 days of household needs. Earlier, they would go far to get their water and it barely lasted a week. The one pipeline in the village supplied water only once a week.

Not just individual households, the community space called ‘Gundu Thopu’ now has a new lease of life, as gram panchayat member Nariappa explains. Until the intervention by United Way of Bengaluru, this reeked of filth and mosquitoes. Now, the green space with trees and a water body is a relaxing spot. A sprinkle and drip irrigation set-up has been put in place, and the 222 KL pond has been cleaned to improve ground water level.

Right next to this is the village temple dedicated to the monkey god Hanuman. The temple houses a kalyani, that is, a stepwell. Used primarily for religious purposes, this was restored and cleaned and has a capacity of 1,300 KL. All these interventions have directly benefited the 2,000 people living in Sultanpet.