Now Reading: Diageo starts Godavari and Yamuna river basin rejuvenation
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Diageo starts Godavari and Yamuna river basin rejuvenation
Liquor major Diageo has launched initiatives to rejuvenate the Godavari and Yamuna river basins as part of its water replenishment and WASH strategies. In Maharashtra, the company is working in Nashik and…
Liquor major Diageo has launched initiatives to rejuvenate the Godavari and Yamuna river basins as part of its water replenishment and WASH strategies. In Maharashtra, the company is working in Nashik and Nanded on the Godavari, and has started work on the Yamuna. It has piloted regenerative paddy farming on 810 hectares in Telangana, cutting water use by 60-70%, and is in talks to expand to Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Diageo's Godavari Initiative, now in its third year, has drawn Coca-Cola India and Arvind Mills as partners. The company is mapping the entire basin across nine districts, desilting six ponds in Maharashtra to prevent crop flooding, and setting up boom barriers to collect plastic and flower waste ahead of the Kumbh Mela in Nashik. It is investing Rs 3-3.5 crore on water projects. The company next plans to hire an institute for hydrogeology and aquifer mapping.
Indian Opinion Analysis
India's river basins face acute water stress, with the Godavari alone supporting over 50 million people and several industrial clusters. Corporate involvement in basin rejuvenation is voluntary, not mandated, though the Companies Act 2013 requires large firms to spend 2% of net profit on CSR. Diageo's shift from internal projects to handing the baton to Coca-Cola suggests an emerging model of corporate consortia funding river work. The Kumbh Mela in Nashik, expected in 2027, adds urgency to cleanliness efforts upstream. Whether other alcohol majors follow Diageo's lead, and how state governments formalise these private partnerships, will determine if the pilot scales beyond the current 810 hectares of regenerative agriculture.
Source: thehindubusinessline.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
