Case Studies

In Katai Village near Mumbai, India, water had become a luxury and scarce commodity rather than a staple of everyday life. Deforestation by locals trying to increase their income by selling the wood had made the dry seasons even harder to live through – the forests play a key part in conserving ground water.

After attending two-week Earthwatch projects, 21 employees of HSBC India decided to start a community project to harvest water and repopulate the forests. The 600 villagers of Katai and the 21 volunteers, with the help of local engineers, converted water holes to wells and repaired the dam. They also helped to build links to recharge the water table of the natural springs. Two thousand trees were planted in the area, including mango and cashew, which will help to conserve ground water throughout the dry season.

The changes in the local community have been dramatic. Instead of spending most of their time collecting water, the women have formed self-help groups, have started a children’s education programme and undertaken various nutrition, health, medical and finance initiatives. The villagers have also visited 25 other villages to show how their concerted effort has improved their living conditions. An additional 16 HSBC volunteers have helped to roll out similar programmes to five other villages.