Water Stewardship and Replenish Report - Psddev.com

Photo Credit:
Janet Lee/The Nature Conservancy
India: Replenishing the Groundwater Used in Production
The Coca-Cola system in India is achieving water conservation, efficiency, and balance with
a variety of strategies and programs throughout the country. The system has achieved full
balance between groundwater used in beverage production and that replenished to nature
and communities—ahead of the global target. Bottlers throughout the system in India
have also improved water use efficiency by 25 percent since 2005.
Our efforts to replenish groundwater in India are focused on rainwater harvesting,
constructing check dams, restoring ponds and other natural water bodies, and supporting
agricultural water efficiency improvements. NGOs and local communities help our bottlers
to identify priority areas, implement projects, and mobilize community members to ensure
local input to project planning and assessment.
At the end of 2011, our system in India had installed more than 600 rainwater harvesting
structures across 22 states. Ponds are being restored in Sarnath and Varanasi, and check
dams have been constructed at several locations, including near Bangalore and Mumbai. In
the Kaladera area of Rajasthan and elsewhere in India, we have worked with government
and other partners to advance water-efficient agriculture through drip irrigation, helping
300 farmers to date install and learn how to use the systems. This long-term initiative is
lowering farmers’ water and fertilizer costs, increasing their yields, and conserving more
than 1.5 billion liters of water every year across approximately 100 hectares of farmland.
engaging Communities for Local Water Stewardship
In communities around the world, we work closely with local organizations, community
groups, schools, and individuals to deepen our understanding of the water issues they may
face, involve them in planning and implementing projects, provide education and hands-on
training, and help build local capacity to maintain projects and support responsible water
management for years to come. This collaboration takes many forms. As part of our CWP
projects, we often provide education and awareness in water conservation, water resources
management, and health and hygiene. We partner with local groups to supply education to
farmers in sustainable agriculture practices. We work with marginalized youth to empower
them through interconnected leadership programs. We train local residents to become
water and health advocates or to operate and maintain water infrastructure. And we have
developed partnerships with local watershed groups to support stormwater management
initiatives. Robust community engagement around local and global water challenges
is essential to creating water access and supporting responsible water management.
As the business grows, we will continue to expand our engagement in watersheds and
communities where we operate.