Renovated Shivra Taal dedicated to the community in the presence of District Magistrate, elected representatives and members of the community
Move aimed to ensure better availability of water to over 950 households of Soda and neighboring villages throughout the year

Village Soda, March 23, 2015: Soda Village in Tonk District of Rajasthan, that was once a princely State but later declared by the government as one of the most backward districts of Rajasthan, is all set to reclaim its pride and stature thanks to the collaborative approach adopted by its Sarpanch.

Ms. Chhavi Rajawat, Sarpanch of Soda Village has adopted a collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach to solve the water problem, of Soda village and adjoining villages. Her perseverance brought Soda Panchayat and Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd. together to address the water problem of the area. The result of this partnership is restored “Shivra Taal”, which is the lifeline of Soda and neighbouring villages. World Vision India was roped in to undertake the restoration as well as capacity building of the community in the area of water and sanitation.

On the occasion of World Water Day’15, the restored “Shivra Taal” was dedicated to the community in the presence of Dr. Tina Kumar, IAS, Collector & District Magistrate, Tonk, Mr Deepak Kumar, Superintendent of Police, Tonk, Mr Sukhbir Singh Jaunapuria, Member of Parliament, senior executives of Hindustan Coca-Cola, Mr Ajit Mehta, MLA, Mr Kanhaiyalal Choudhary, MLA, Mr Hera Lal Regar, MLA, Mr. Rajendra Gujar, MLA, Mr Gajendra Rathore, CEO, Tonk, Mr Sidharth Shukla, TV Actor, Ms Smita Bansal, TV Actor, Mr Prabhati Lal Jat, SDM, MalpuraMr Bhura Lal Bhalai, BDO, Malpura, Ms Saroj Chaudhary, Block Pradhan, Smt Harsh Chauhan, Deputy Sarpanch, Soda Village, officials of World Vision India, other elected representatives, government officials and residents of Soda and neighbouring villages.

Soda has predominantly been dependent on this Taal for meeting all their water requirements, be it drinking water, domestic usage, agriculture and livestock. But over the years, the decline in availability of rainwater and siltation in Taal has negatively impacted the availability of water. The ground water is saline and naturally contaminated with high levels of fluoride, chloride and other minerals and hence the ground water has been declared unsafe by the Government, even for agricultural use. Thus, rain water is the only source of safer drinking water and irrigation.

Shivra Taal is the only source to meet water requirements of the Soda village and 08 Dhanis (hamlets) under the Soda Panchayat. During rainy season, the reservoir is replete with water and excess water runs off due to poor storage capacity causing the reservoir to go dry during the summer. The restoration work involved excavation of silt and deepening of taal to enhance the storage capacity, treatment of feeder channels for effective flow of water into the reservoir, stabilization of part of the embankment of the pond, one discharge gate/spillway and stone pitching of four islands used for migratory birds. The initiative also focused on carrying out soft-skills development programmes on water conservation, safe drinking water and improved sanitation practices.

Speaking on the occasion, Ms. Chhavi Rajawat, Sarpanch, Soda Village, said, “All efforts of the Panchayat are aimed at giving the residents a better life and for the Soda Panchayat, it meant addressing the water problem. Unfortunately, the long-existing government schemes prohibit the usage of machinery (such as earth movers) – a critical requirement for efficient execution of water conservation work – and hence an alternate strategy had to be devised. I am glad to have got requisite support from Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages. Shivra Taal is the lifeline of Soda village as well as neighbouring helmets and I can not thank Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages enough. This initiative will go a long way in ensuring water security for all of us.”

Speaking on the collaboration, Mr. Kalyan Ranjan, Associate Vice President – PAC, Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd., said, “We at HCCB, understand the importance of the precious natural resource, Water, and are fully committed to the cause of water conservation. We are always keen to partner with various stakeholders in the area of water stewardship that help people get improved access to water as we believe it is a necessity, and not a privilege, that anyone should be devoid of. We are delighted to have been a part of this Shivra Taal restoration initiative envisioned by the Soda Panchayat. World Vision India has been a valuable partner in implementing this project.”

About Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages

Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd, is the largest bottling partner of The Coca-Cola Company in India. It is part of the The Coca-Cola Company’s Bottling Investment Group (BiG) and responsible for the manufacture, package, sale and distribution of beverages under the trademarks of The Coca-Cola Company. The Company has always placed high value on good citizenship. For further information on the Company’s India operations and its products, please visit www.hindustancoca-cola.com.

For further details please contact:

Akash Batra
abatra@perfectrelations.com
+91 9999786118

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