WATER INITIATIVES
Water quality and availability are under threat in some parts of the world. As water scarcity
becomes more apparent, so do the risks we potentially face. These risks are often shared with
the community around us. The scarcity and availability of water represent a potentially
significant risk to parts of our business, as well as to some of the communities in which we
operate.
SABMiller India aims to work collaboratively to protect the watersheds that they share with
the local communities. Also SABMiller India aims to be more efficient in using water,
understanding the watersheds and engaging with suppliers. This will cut costs, reduce risks and
benefit local communities. SABMiller India is a founding signatory of the United Nations CEO
Water mandate & recognizes the responsibility to promote responsible water use both within &
outside the company. This is reflected in the “5R”, water management strategy which has
internal measures - reduce, reuse & recycle & external measures to replenish & redistribute.
The company has set a target of reducing water use per hectoliter of beer by 25% between
2008 & 2015. The company has initiated numerous projects to conserve water resources in
areas which it operates.
Ground Water Management Strategies with Community Participation:
Haryana, Sonipat
Project Location
Sonipat district comes under hot and semi-arid South Eastern agro climatic zone and falls in the
great Indo-Gangetic alluvial plain. The region comprises 347 villages including sixteen uninhabited villages. The geographical area of the district is 213787 ha which is about 4.8% of the
total geographical area of the State.
The average rainfall in the district is 550 mm which varies considerably from year to year. The
monsoon period accounts for nearly 90% of the annual rainfall. On an average there are 30
rainy days in a year.
Technical Partners
Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)
Preliminary investigations towards Need Assessment
Ground Water and Irrigation
The ground water potential of the Sonipat district is estimated at 502 million cubic meters, of
which the reservoir of fresh water alone accounts for 68% of total ground water available for
exploitation. The percentage utilization as on 1st April, 1972 was determined to be 25% of the
available exploitable resource. It exceeded beyond the natural recharge into the groundwater
reservoir, and stood at 514 million cubic meters in 1981-82. The accent on exploitation of
ground water in the district is, thus, evident with over exploitation of ground water on the
increase. As on 31 March 2004, out of seven blocks in the district, three blocks fall under the
safe category and four blocks fall under the overexploited category, which is alarming.
Approximately 96 percent of total cultivable area is irrigated in the district.
Hydro geological Observations
Observations around the Yamuna river (East) and a large canal system (West) in the region
indicate that the river is almost dry due to dams having stopped the flow of water upstream.
Dug wells have long been abandoned and in most cases been filled up and covered. This is due
to the advent of the tube wells and electricity. The absence of dug wells and open tube wells
make it very difficult to understand the dynamics of groundwater flow in the area between the
river and the canal. Submersible pumps have been installed in almost all tube wells and thus
these cannot be used to measure water levels. Further the area consists of alluvial aquifers
making detailed studies difficult as there are no surface exposures to understand the
hydrogeological properties.
Agriculture and Cropping Pattern
This area is a classic example of the effects of the green revolution on agriculture and
groundwater. Large number of farmers have medium to large land holdings, practice
mechanised agriculture and are relatively affluent. The predominating farming system is
agriculture + animal husbandry followed by agriculture + animal husbandry + horticulture.
The district has significant areas under other cropping systems of pigeon pea (kharif pulse),
wheat and sugarcane. The increasing acreage under rice has mainly been at the expense of
pulses, bajra and maize. The wheat acreage has also increased at the expense of pulse (gram)
and barley. The adoption of kharif rice, intensification of wheat and other examples of crop
diversification (towards vegetables) owe much to the increase in access to irrigation and use of
chemical fertilizers. Concomitant with these changes in choices of crops has been the rapid
mechanization and improvement in infrastructural facilities.
Emerging Areas of Concern
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Issues related to the neglect of composting, imbalance and non-judicious application of
nutrients and chemicals, intensive cultivation of paddy-wheat, sugarcane and vegetable
crops over the years have started taking their toll on soil and water resources of the
area.
District Sonipat has nearly 88 percent of its area under irrigation by both the canal as
well as the tube wells. Over past years, the area under tube well irrigation is increasing
at a much faster pace than by canals. The Sonipat area which has good quality
underground water is facing the problem of depleting water table (reaching to an
alarming stage). Thus the region is in dire need of corrective measures on a large scale.
Basis conversations with the farmers, it appears that the water levels in the region are
at about 40m to 50m. It has been observed that the farmers here do not perceive any
significant issues at hand other than shortage of electricity and good prices for their
produce. The proximity of the area to the Azadpur mandi (which supplies vegetables to
Delhi) has led to the cultivation of vegetables along with wheat, sugarcane and paddy as
the major crops. All these crops are highly water intensive. Farmers do not feel that
falling groundwater tables are a significant problem as they are able to get water by
drilling deeper.
In the Sonipat area it has been found that the farmers use high discharge pumps with
capacity of between 15 to 25 hp. However this method increases infiltration and
evaporation losses as compared to other methods of irrigation.
Conclusions
1. Water balance shows that evaporation loss as % of total ground water draft is 26.63%.
2. Ground water uses in three seasons are as follows-Kharif-58.25 MCM, Rabi-50.00 MCM
and Summer-8.20 MCM.
3. Farmer use excess water i.e.83.85 MCM for irrigation purpose.
i)
Farmer use high HP pumps. For excess water pumping approx. 50 MW extrs
connected load is used.
ii) Evaporation loss in canal is approx.23.13% and ground water recharge is 16.54 %.
Potential Areas of Intervention
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Further details hydrogeological and spatial analyses to better understand the resource
INM demonstrations along with educating farmers on RCTs (randomized control trials )
and other related site and crop specific issues to tackle the problem of non-judicious use
of fertilizer-chemicals (ignoring the desired ratio and application of needed micronutrients)
Education of farmers on conjunctive use of available water with increased water use
efficiency through propagating better irrigation practices and different water
conservation techniques
The specific works of reclamation and development of salt affected soils, rain water
harvesting, and sub-surface water drainage
Ground Water Management Initiative: Neemrana, Rajasthan
Our initiative has the potential to help decrease the groundwater abstraction in the region by
approx. 23% and reduce the overall runoff in the region by as much as 40%
Project Location
The Ground Water Management initiative led by SABMiller India is located in Neemrana, District
Alwar, Rajasthan, an industrial town located between Delhi and Jaipur. The area is part of the
National Capital Region (NCR).The areas adjoining the Delhi- Jaipur National Highway have
seen much industrial development over the last two decades or so. However, the
industrialization around Neemrana is limited to the areas adjoining the highway, rest being
primarily dependent on agriculture.
Based on hydro geological and surface hydrological conditions an effective target area of about
27,500 hectares has been identified for interventions. This comprises two watersheds –
Neemrana and Behror of 12,500 and 15,000 hectares respectively.
Success in the field
Burning Platform/ Concern Area
The target region is totally devoid of any exogenous water supply and survives on mainly the
groundwater resource and small traditional tanks with rainwater as the only means of recharge.
The entire community including the industry, the domestic users and the farming community
depends almost entirely on this resource. The losses through evaporation and run off are very
high in the region. The shallow (unconfined) aquifer is dead; even 100 ft deep wells are totally
dry.
There are few evidences of efforts of water conservation, harvesting and recharge. The
traditional water storage structures used by the community for domestic and cattle uses are
poorly maintained and some even destroyed. Water is currently pumped out of the confined
aquifer in the bedrock for agricultural as well as industrial uses. The looming scarcity of the
resource threatens the livelihoods of the small and medium farm holders and is also a potential
risk to the business and the reputation of the company due to the prevalent perception that
industry and specifically the brewers in the region are water guzzlers.
The region has been designated as a grey zone by the Central Ground Water Authority (CGWA)
but the groundwater management plan for the entire NCR does not indicate concrete solutions
for this particular area. Despite one of the highest ground water extractions in the world, India
at large has no sound policy governing its extraction and use. Agriculture has no accountability
in terms of the amount and patterns of water use. All this coupled with poorly managed energy
scenario has led to wasteful and inefficient agriculture and irrigation practices. Industry, despite
being regulated and bound by compliance norms is not assured of the long term sustainable
availability of the resource.
Basic hydrogeology of the region
The groundwater system in the region is composed of:
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A shallow unconfined aquifer in the alluvium formed of sand and silt
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Shallow perched aquifers confined by clay layers from below (which are the sites for
small traditional tanks)
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Multiple deeper confined aquifers in the alluvium (due to repetitive sequences of
confinements of clay layers and alluvium)
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Deep aquifer in the bedrock
The rainwater harvesting is mainly in the tanks on the perched aquifers. The fractured rocks in
the ridges facilitate the natural deep recharge. The recharge of shallow unconfined aquifer is
mainly through infiltration through the soil. However, since it is totally dried up, the infiltrated
water is suspected to dissipate thinly and then lost through evaporation and evapo-transpiration
without showing up in the dug wells to a significant extent.
Project Partners
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Confederation Of Indian Industry (CII) – Overall concept and scope
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Advanced Centre for Water Resources Development & Management (ACWADAM )Hydrogeological inputs
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Gridline Consultancy- Remote sensing and GIS technology
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Humana People to People- Community interventions
Project Strategy based on the above
Supply management through 
Exploiting the natural conditions in the ridges for deep recharge
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Building small water diversion structures in the alluvial plains for diverting water to tube
wells for deep recharge
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Demand management through enhancing water use efficiency in agriculture
Results
The efficacy of the first and the last has already been demonstrated successfully.
The impact on local deep groundwater levels has also been ascertained with a net rise of
approximately 56 feet (as in July 2011 ) around the three groundwater recharge structures that
have been constructed in the ridge area on the Government land after careful selection of site
and detailed investigations of surface hydrology and rainfall pattern. With these three structures
the total recharge is now almost as much as the water extracted last year from the brewery. It
is important to note that structures such as these are crucial to impound water which would
otherwise simply runoff.
The combined storage potential of these structures is about 50,000 m3 and given the rainfall
pattern they are expected to refill about 6 times a year with a total recharge potential of
300,000 m3.
A fourth structure has also been built in a farmer’s field and the farmer has been able to get a
complete crop of mustard without a single irrigation.
The results of, over 60 participatory crop demonstration trials conducted in the late winter and
summer 2010 with focus on Integrated Nutrient Management and enhancement of irrigation
efficiency have also been encouraging in terms of cost benefit ratio of additional incomes to
additional investments. More farmers are now coming forward without any subsidies being
offered and this number is expected to increase substantially.
A key output of the program has been the water balance estimation of the region.
Its key findings are as follows:
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Only 18% of total Ground Water use is recharged to deep aquifer from where
water is currently being pumped
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Potential run off from the basin is as high as 34.61% of the total water input
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Agriculture is the major ground water user in the basin and consumes
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Industrial Water use is even lesser than drinking and other uses of animal and
human population in the basin
Water Balance: Evidence based informed dialogue with the community
Water balance model (WBM) is an important planning tool that helps assess the status of water
resource sustainability and the opportunities for achieving sustainability – e.g. run-off available
for additional rainwater harvesting and recharge, sites available for impounding water,
improving water use efficiency in agriculture etc.
Investigations are being conducted using a combination of scientific and participatory
techniques to evaluate the potential to bridge the gap between water availability and demand
through the strategies outlined above. The scientific techniques include satellite data, remote
sensing and GPS technologies. The participatory techniques include validation of satellite data
and assessment of land and water use practices through interviews with farmers. This data will
in the coming year, form the evidence base of our engagement with the external stakeholders.
Empowering communities through informed dialogue
Plans for the next year include
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Addition of more structures
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Intensified stakeholder dialogue to garner support and buy in of the following through a
series of interventions 
Panchayats (elected village level units of admin. )
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The regulators, district, state and national level
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Local Industry associations
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Community leaders
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Developmental organizations/ key NGOs working in the area of water
Improving Livelihoods through Community Water Resources Management in Community
Watersheds
ICRISAT-SABMiller India Project
Up to 45% increase in the crop productivity during the first year with approx. 22% increase in the net
income for the farmers
Our initiatives have the potential to improve groundwater recharge by about 20-25%, reduce the total
runoff by about 30-45% and soil loss by about 60-65% in the target villages.
Project Location
The Community Water Resources Management initiative is located about 10 km away from Sangareddy
town, Headquarters of Medak district in Andhra Pradesh, an industrial town located on Mumbai national
highway about 50 km away from Hyderabad in Southern India.
The project area of approximately 3500 hectares comprises four villages; Fasalvadi, Shivampet,
Venkatakishtapur and Chakriyal with1880 hectares being rainfed and 1035 hectares under irrigation.
Number of households within the project area are 2526 with total population of 12940. The area drains
into the river Manjira, a perennial tributary of river Godavari
The population in these four villages is primarily dependant on agriculture for their livelihoods. The
villages are characterized by undulating topography with an average slope of about 2.5%. The area
receives an average annual rainfall of 850 mm with the soils having predominantly medium to high water
holding capacities.
Burning Platform
Medak district lying in the semi-arid region of Andhra Pradesh is confronting poverty, hunger and
malnutrition along with looming food insecurity in the region due to degrading land resources and water
scarcity. The gloomy water scenario in the region and the projected increasing demand for water by
competing sectors like agriculture, and industry, are bound to put more pressure on the scarce and finite
water resources in the region.
The project area totally depends on rainfall and groundwater resources for rainfed as well as irrigated
crop production. Inappropriate land and water management systems and insufficient water harvesting
structures, have led to fall in groundwater levels with time.
There is hardly any evidence of efforts being made for water conservation, harvesting, storage and
recharge of groundwater. The storage capacities of traditional water harvesting structures used by the
community for domestic and cattle uses are reduced by siltation and poor maintenance.
Besides water scarcity, fields are deficient in secondary and micronutrients like sulfur, zinc and boron in
addition to carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus. Farmers lack technical knowhow and the present crop
yields are low due to inappropriate genetic and crop management practices. All this coupled with poorly
managed resources scenario has led to wasteful and inefficient agriculture.
Need of the Hour
Under water shortage conditions, integrated water resource management is the key for addressing the
issues related to water scarcity. Although water is limiting, more than the quantity of water, overall
management especially of rainwater is critical.
Water has a direct bearing on agricultural productivity which in turn has implications in poverty reduction.
The project is aimed at demonstrating the important role of water management in improving the
livelihoods within the community watersheds and developing strategies for sustainable management of
water resources in the region by adopting integrated water resources management (IWRM) at the
catchment level.
Water is a common resource and does not have boundaries and therefore calls for collective action. In
this context, the importance of community participation and ownership of the initiative backed by
science-led technologies cannot be underestimated.
Consortium Partners and their role
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International Crop research Institute for Semi Arid Tropics ( ICRISAT)- Overall concept and scope
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Rural Education and Agriculture Development (READ)- Social mobilization and community
Interventions
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District Water Management Agency (DWMA), Medak, Govt. of A.P- Facilitation
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Watershed committees and village organizations-Natural Resource Management
Project Strategy
Use Integrated Genetic and Natural Resource Management (IGNRM) approach to bring about sustainable
management of water and enhanced livelihoods within the watershed.
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Enhance rainwater conservation, improve water use efficiency and manage the water demand
while improving the livelihoods
How Does the IGNRM Approach Work?
The IGNRM approach combines genetic technologies (eg improved crop varieties) with low-cost
techniques for soil and water management, in order to improve system productivity while maintaining the
natural resource base.
Key Activities
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Recommendation of fertilizers basis soil sampling in all the four villages.
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Introduction of improved crop varieties of rainfed crops
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Farmer participatory varietal selection trials where farmers evaluated hybrid seeds of maize
during the rainy season and improved varieties of chickpea during the post rainy season.
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Balanced nutrient application (Gypsum, Zinc Sulphate, agribor ) in Sugarcane, Paddy, cotton
and chickpea based on soil test results
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Field bunding of 2740 running meters in the Fasalvadi and 2820 running meters in the
Venkatakistapur villages to conserve soil moisture and reduce soil erosion.
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Forty-five gully control structures constructed in Fasalvadi and 44 in Shivampet villages using
rock-filled dams and loose boulders to control gully erosion.
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4000 Teak plants planted in all the four villages to increase greenery and Glyricidia stem
cuttings (4200 numbers) planted and seed dibbling (500 g) done to strengthen the bunds by
reducing soil erosion and to increase the availability of nitrogen rich green leaf manure to the
farmers
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Balanced nutrient management PR&D trials conducted and crop yields recorded in sugarcane,
paddy, cotton and chickpea crops.
Initial Results
Total water impounded:
The soil and water conservation measures implemented have led to conservation of about 5500 cubic
meter of additional rainwater in the last monsoon in project villages
Agri Interventions: Increased yields and incomes over the farmer’s practices
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All the three maize hybrids provided by the ICRISAT team performed better than the seeds
purchased by farmers from the local market. Maximum grain yield of 6.02 ton per hectares
was recorded with improved variety (Prabhat-2201) compared to other hybrids and lowest
grain yield 5.29 ton per hectares in using the farmers’ seeds.
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Trial varieties of chickpea,( ICCC 37 and JG 11 ) performed better than the local variety
reporting maximum grain yield of 1.31 t ha-1 against 1.00 ton per hectares recorded by
using the local variety
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5% to 12% cane yield increase of sugarcane due to balanced nutrient application over
farmers’ practice
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10% to 27% grain yield increase of paddy
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13% to 19% Cotton yield increase due to balanced nutrient application over farmers’
practice,
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26% to 45%. grain yield increase of chickpea
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Sugarcane and paddy crops with soil test based balanced nutrient management technology
Rock fill dam (left) and chickpea crop grown with improved crop production technology
Progress of water harvesting structures in the watershed
Next Steps
Increase the water conservation capacity
Soil and Water Conservation Measures
Build more field bunding, loose boulder structures, rock-filled dams, Gabion structures, stone
outlets and running meter stone revetment.
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Rainwater Harvesting Structures:
Check dams, one each in the project villages, and mini percolation tanks
Strengthening of Community based Organisations (CBOs): In all the four villages, through
training, watershed committees and self-help groups will be strengthened to enhance the community
buy-in and community participation in the project activities.
Water Harvesting Structures in Orissa
The company has supported 5 water harvesting structures in the Cuttack District of Orissa in
Eastern India, improving the water availability in the region for agriculture which is the main
source of livelihood here. These projects benefit a population of approx. 10,000 farmers of 1500
families in 23 villages. The Land coverage is expected to be 560 Hectares (1400 acres). This
activity is expected to support irrigation and general house old use. It is estimated that after
commissioning of WHSs, water level will rise in drinking water sources viz. hand pumps and
surface water sources like ponds tanks etc.
Apart from the above these constructed WHSs will be helpful in restoring and rejuvenating the
degraded forest resources of the area. The structures have been constructed with the
participation of local people and will be managed and maintained by the community .
Water structures in Cuttack, Orissa
Water Resource Management initiatives in the Barley Belt at Chomu, Rajasthan
The company has recently launched a water management program in the Chomu district in
Rajasthan.
Burning Platform / Concern Area
Water condition in the target area is very critical with respect to availability as well as quality.
The fluoride and TDS (Total dissolved solids) levels are very high leading to severe health
issues. As a result, villagers are forced to purchase water through tankers from the nearby
villages at a high cost.
Thrust Areas:
A water resource management initiative in the target area would have following main thrusts
● Drinking water security in terms of availability as well as quality
● Enhancement of water use efficiency in agriculture through labor intensive border irrigation
technique
● Water resource augmentation through water harvesting and recharge.
● Enhancement of crop productivity and cost efficiency through scientific practices and use of
micro nutrients
Phase 1- Drinking Water Initiative
In the 1st phase water structure with storage capacity of approx. 50 Lakh litres is being
constructed to store the rain water, treating the same for drinking purpose and distributing it
among the villagers. Good quality drinking water is expected to have positive impact on health
(and therefore expenditure on ameliorative treatments), and down time due to ill health.
On a long term basis this is expected to have a demonstrative effect and may encourage other
communities to come forward to demand drinking water schemes and undertake the required
regulatory mandates.
The drinking water initiative is expected to benefit entire population (4000 farmers) of the village
Badi Dongri located in the Chomu District.