Around 3 km from L&T’s A M Naik Heavy Engineering Complex (AMNHEC) in Hazira lies the village of Mora. Around 90% of  the villagers are migrant labourers, dependent on nearby industrial areas for their livelihood. Further down, around 17-20 km from AMNHEC are the villages of Admor and Ariyana, where agriculture – mainly paddy and vegetation – and livestock management are the chief means of sustenance.

 

Surveying these villages, the AMNHEC CSR team learnt about the scarcity of water for drinking and household usage. While an adequate supply of water was received by the Gram Panchayats from the Gujarat Water Supply and Sewerage Board (GWSSB), the lack of water storage infrastructure at the village level resulted in a limited supply of water – only once or twice a week for 45 minutes! All the villages had a well-established underground pipeline network connecting all the houses.

 

Hence, the CSR team decided to construct underground water tanks in these villages. L&T-MHI Power Boilers Pvt Ltd (LMB) constructed the tanks, with storage capacity of 5 lakh litres, 2.75 lakh litres, and 3.5 lakh litres in Mora, Admor, and Ariyana, respectively, incurring a cost of Rs 1.76 crore in FY 2021-22.

 

This 6 August, the tanks were formally handed over to the Gram Panchayats governing the three villages. The function was graced by several dignitaries – Mr Mukeshbhai Patel (Minister for Agriculture, Energy & Petrochemicals - Gujarat), Ms Zankhanaben Patel (MLA – Choryasi, Gujarat) and representatives of the District Panchayat and Taluka Panchayat.

 

Mr Srinivas Sirupa (Chief Executive & Whole-Time Director - LMB), Mr Atik Desai (Advisor – AMNHEC), Mr Rashid Hashim (VP & Head – LMB, Hazira) and other L&T officials were also present.

 

Now, instead of 45 minutes twice a week, the Gram Panchayats will be able to provide water to the village households every day for 30 minutes, enhancing the lives of some 26,400 villagers.