- Three-decade-long initiative in Gir Somnath reverses seawater ingress and restores freshwater security
Large-scale CSR-led water management benefits over 200,000 farmers and families
Check dams, canals and quarry recharge return 39.89 MCM water to communities
4,000+ rooftop rainwater systems secure safe drinking water across 76 villages
Ambujanagar plant achieves 21.1x water positivity, setting a national CSR benchmark
NE ENVIRONMENT BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, FEB 2
Ambuja Cements, the cement and building materials company of the diversified Adani Portfolio, is driving one of Gujarat’s most impactful corporate social responsibility (CSR) interventions in water stewardship, successfully tackling salinity ingress and restoring freshwater resources in the coastal Gir Somnath region.
Through its long-standing CSR initiatives around the Ambujanagar plant, the company has addressed chronic water stress that once threatened agriculture and livelihoods of over 200,000 farmers and families. The initiative, which began in 1993, now spans 600 square kilometres, delivering sustainable, community-owned water solutions with a 13x social return on investment.
The region had long faced seawater intrusion into groundwater aquifers, sharply reducing irrigation potential and drinking water quality. Ambuja Cements’ CSR team adopted an integrated approach to address both the supply and demand sides of the crisis—combining infrastructure creation, groundwater recharge and efficient water-use practices to push salinity back towards the coastline.
As part of the programme, the company constructed over 235 check dams, extending water availability from four months to nearly eight months post-monsoon. It also developed 69 kilometres of interlinking canals to divert surplus monsoon flows to drought-prone areas, while enhancing storage capacity by deepening ponds and repurposing mined-out quarries as water reservoirs.
Collectively, these interventions have helped prevent further salinity intrusion and returned 39.89 million cubic metres (MCM) of water to local communities, revitalising irrigation and strengthening farm resilience.
Ensuring safe drinking water formed a key pillar of the initiative. Ambuja Cements installed over 4,000 rooftop rainwater harvesting systems across 76 coastal villages, significantly improving access to clean potable water in salinity-affected habitations.
On the agricultural front, the CSR team partnered with nearly 6,000 farmers to promote drip irrigation across 8,603 hectares, reducing groundwater extraction while improving crop productivity and water-use efficiency.
Ambuja Cements’ sustained commitment to water stewardship has resulted in the company achieving 12x water positivity, while its Ambujanagar plant stands at an exceptional 21.1x water positive. The initiative underscores how long-term, science-backed CSR investments can deliver measurable environmental outcomes while safeguarding rural livelihoods in water-stressed coastal regions.
