After successfully completing the first program at Alsigarh and Kurabad Watershed areas in Udaipur, the DS (Dharampal Satyapal) Group announced the commencement of the second ‘Water Economic Zone,’ an integrated watershed development project at Khandwa and Betul districts in Madhya Pradesh.
The proposed intervention would be executed in 3000 ha of Barud Gram Panchayat in Khandwa district’s Chhaigaon Makhan block and 2400 ha of Dabhona Gram Panchayat in Betul district’s Athner block, reaching out to around 2000 households, largely from the marginalized. The DS Group built a community pond in Chhatarpur,
Madhya Pradesh’Creation of Water Economic Zone’ initiatives focus on boosting natural resources, notably water and soil, to increase an area’s productivity through integrated watershed development projects.
Construction of recharge and storage structures, repair of existing defunct or underutilized water bodies, soil conservation measures, adoption of effective irrigation practices, and the establishment of long-term sustainability institutions are all part of these projects.
The watershed structures boost the availability of water at the surface and subsurface level, resulting in greater irrigated area and improved crop yield, culminating in improved economic conditions for the communities in the intervention regions.
The project also encourages water conservation by implementing enhanced irrigation techniques such as drip irrigation and rain cannons, as well as harvesting climate-friendly crops.
For the project’s execution in these two districts, the business has worked with grassroots organizations Arpan Seva Sansthan and Haritika.
A detailed project report (DPR) based on net planning is currently being prepared for the construction of various water conservation measures such as check dams, renovation of existing structures, pond de-siltation, and soil conservation measures such as CCT, DCCT, and gabion to be implemented in the coming years.
To ensure long-term viability, the company empowers local communities and establishes community institutions such as water users organizations, farmer’s cooperatives, or any other appropriate community institutions that successfully maintain and secure the intervention’s continuity.
In 2018, the DS Group established the first ‘Water Economic Zone’ in Udaipur (Rajasthan), in the Alsigarh and Kurabad Watershed areas.
By next year, the initiative will have reached approximately 23000 people from 26 villages, the majority of whom are tribal, and will cover an area of around 11000 hectares in both Udaipur locations.
Rain-fed farming had low production, extensive soil erosion due to the undulating landscape, and degraded land and forest in the project region. The project is now being implemented over 9214 hectares (4984 Hectares in Alsigarh and 4230 Hectares in Kurabad).
The DS Group has built 311 soil and water conservation structures, including Anicuts or Check Dams, Mini Percolation Tanks or Earthen Dams, and other structures such as Continuous Contour Trenches, Gabion, Gully Plugs, and Recharge Pits, among others.
The water storage and recharge capacity of these structures is approximately 21, 52,931 cubic meters. So far, 1,26,860 cubic meters of Continuous Contour trenches have been built, capable of recharging 7,04,960 cubic meters of water in an average monsoon, and bringing an additional 456 ha of land under irrigation.
The DS Group has contributed to the creation and restoration of three Community Ponds in the Chhatarpur area, which will help to recharge and restore groundwater levels while also promoting water-efficient farming techniques.
Around 2000 underprivileged people would profit from the project, whose primary source of income is agriculture and cattle farming. The Group has built a Stop Dam at Gopalpura village, Meghnagar block, Jhabua district, Madhya Pradesh, which has assisted around 200 families who rely on agriculture for their livelihood. They have also been given access to potable water.
The Group is also assisting Adharshila Shiksha Samiti in the establishment of a Senior Secondary School for Sahariya Tribes in a rural section of Madhya Pradesh’s Sheopur district.
The school provides a high-quality education to roughly 500 pupils and prepares them for higher education. The school was established to help the future generation of tribal tribes relocated outside of the Kuno Wild Life Sanctuary.
The DS Group intends to secure long-term water availability by implementing geography-specific conservation measures and judicious resource utilization. The organization works with like-minded grassroots organizations in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Gujarat to promote a variety of programs that help millions of people from marginalized communities.
The organization was recently awarded third best industry for CSR activities at the National Water Awards presented by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, Government of India, in recognition of its efforts to make India water secure.
The DS Group The Dharampal Satyapal Group (DS Group) is a multi-business conglomerate and one of the largest FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) conglomerates in India and abroad.
It is an inspirational and successful business narrative that marries a tremendous history and legacy with imaginative growth, having been founded in 1929. With operations in Mouth Freshener, Food and Beverage, Confectionery, Hospitality, Agri, Luxury Retail, Tobacco, and other assets, the Group’s portfolio is wide and diverse.
Some of the top brands that the Group proudly shelters today include Rajnigandha, Catch, Pulse, FRU, Maze, Ksheer, Pass Pass, BABA, Tulsi, L’Opera, Le Marche, Birthright, The Manu Maharani, and Namah.