Tata Motors partners with Maharashtra government to restore 1000 water bodies in 20 districts

Mumbai: Reinforcing its commitment to safeguard water resources and uplift rural communities, Tata Motors has signed a MoU with Government of Maharashtra to restore 1000 water bodies across 20 districts in the water-stressed regions of the state.

In 2024, Tata Motors rejuvenated and restored 356 water bodies in Maharashtra by leveraging the Gal Mukt Dharan Gal Yukt Shivar Yojana, a community-based de-siltation programme, in partnership with the Soil and Water Conservation Department of Government of Maharashtra, NAAM Foundation, and local communities.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis presided over the MoU signing ceremony.

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.

Actor and social worker Nana Patekar was also present.

Speaking on the initiative, Priya Khan, Officer on Special Duty in Chief Minister’s Office, said, “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, added, “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.

Gal Mukt Dharan Gal Yukt Shivar Yojana provides preapproved funds to the farmer for the silt transportation, which enhances fertility of the soil. The end-to-end digital monitoring mechanism ensures agility and transparency in project implementation.