As part of their corporate social responsibilities (CSR), companies are taking significant initiatives in developing monumental projects that meet the varied needs of backward societies in India. The inclusion of solar power can exponentially enhance the impact of these projects. Many solar projects in India are now a part of these CSR initiatives. Furthermore, these CSR and solar projects in India can help increase the adoption of renewable energy in the country. 

What sets solar projects in India a step above other technology-driven projects? 

The advantages of solar projects in India are manifold: 

• Easy to implement
• Seamless & self-powered application
• Low maintenance cost
• Renewable natural resources ensure an uninterrupted supply of facility

What prompted the Dhamodi Rural Development CSR Project?

Water scarcity was a perennial tribulation of the inhabitants of Dhamodi, a small village near the Tapi River in Maharashtra. The village is home to a close-knit clan of tribal people, who have tuned their lives to grappling with water shortages for generations.

What created water scarcity despite the presence of a river?

Tapi, the closest water source, is at a geographical distance of only 5 km but, more significantly, at a depth of 350 metres. Also, this seemingly close water resource is anything but easily accessible!

• The terrain is steep and not conducive for any mode of conveyance, let alone carrying water from the river effortlessly. Bear in mind that the water containers are empty & light while going downhill towards the river and full while climbing back uphill.
• The height difference does not allow for the natural gravitational flow of water, which makes constructing canals pointless.
• Electricity-powered solutions, too, are rarely viable in such remote locations.

The CSR Initiators

The Rural Development project in Dhamodi was a joint venture of Diganta Swaraj Foundation (NGO) & ASB International Pvt Ltd (Japan). It was designed, executed, and supported by Nimbus as one of the most unique solar projects in India.

The Final Design – A touch of true genius!

Stage 1

On the banks of Tapi, a solar power station was erected to power the first submersible pump that would lift water from the river to a reservoir constructed midway to Dhamodi.

Stage 2

A second solar power station was built close to the reservoir to power a second submersible pump that pushes the collected water upwards to a tank in Dhamodi. This second pump has been designed to work perfectly with the first pump. It prevents the reservoir from overflowing and maintains the required water levels.

Stage 3

The tank in Dhamodi, not only provided water but was also fitted with a gravitational filter to provide clean and purified drinkable water. The total capacity of the tank is a robust 10,000 litres. The gravitational filter incorporated in this design is far from ordinary. Not only does it work without any power source, but it also provides quality drinking water.

Plumbing – the arteries of the design

The plumbing network designed by Nimbus was intricate and ensured that the water was distributed to all hamlets of Dhamodi.

1. Ten taps stations were installed at different strategic locations in the village to distribute water evenly.
2. The plumbing also used valves, which help in the regulation and flow of water throughout the system.
3. Additional plumbing was done to veer the course of excess water (through an overflow pipe) to the village well, thus making water continuously available and preventing any wastage.
4. The steep height of 350 metres from the water source to Dhamodi was a daunting gravitational challenge. The precision and functionality of the plumbing system were the cornerstones in overcoming this seemingly impossible feat.

DHAMODI – From DRY to DRENCHED!

The establishment of the solar power station system became a phenomenal technological intervention eliminating the two major pain points of the Dhamodi tribe –

“Fetching water for domestic use” and “Drinking water scarcity”.

• Respite from the tedious routine of procuring water:

The women in Dhamodi expressed gratitude and happiness by providing a 24/7 water supply. They are delighted at the efficient design of tap stations, allowing them the ease of filling water at the drop of a hat. Before, they had to spend nearly the entire day walking the river path to and from to meet daily water requirements. With the water now coming to them, more and more women and young people in Dhamodi have the time and scope to engage in other productive occupations in the region.

• Drinking water – An added bonus!

The facility providing filtered water for drinking was a touch of real value engineering. It has sealed the deal for a happy & healthy Dhamodi forever.

250 Families & Counting!

The fact that the project was powered by solar has ensured that it is not dependent on any electricity resource. It will be consistent, dependable & easy to maintain. This joint initiative has touched the lives of more than 250 families spread over all the hamlets of Dhamodi.

Nimbus Solar: Bringing CSR and solar projects in India together

The Dhamodi project was conceptualised & implemented by Nimbus Solar (Nimbus Irrigation Pvt Ltd). – a solar power-driven organisation helping companies leverage renewable resources of energies for materialising transformative endeavours towards the welfare of society.

Nimbus is now spearheading the solar revolution wave and helping facilitate solar projects in India.

Contact us to plan and build your next CSR project around solar power.

Website: https://nimbussolar.in/

Here is what you could do

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) projects in India have recently gained much importance, and companies are making it a significant part of their business policies, objectives and ideologies. Large-scale corporates & business houses consistently endeavour to contribute meaningfully to society through various social welfare, socio-economic and environmental development projects in different dimensions.

CSR activities are conceptualised to create a positive impact on society and the lives of human beings at large. Companies are willing to give back a portion of their earnings to the nation’s people by making much-needed societal contributions. Such efforts yield far more dividends when we add renewable energy to the CSR equation, especially – SOLAR!

From drinking water, irrigation, lighting, illumination and community farming, solar is the preferred choice of CSR projects in India for modern-day corporate stalwarts.

A systematic approach

Corporations taking CSR projects in India collaborate with NGOs and other charitable trusts from all over the country to fulfill their respective agendas.

• Every corporate outlines its vision and mission for its CSR policy for the year. Budget, geography, and a host of other parameters are drafted at this stage.
• Most corporates have partnerships with NGOs and technical partners such as NIMBUS to design & execute such initiatives.

Why Nimbus?

Exemplary CSR projects in India have revolved around clean and green energy, community farming, irrigation, sanitation, drinking water and other projects focused on rural development. As part of remarkable global CSR activities in the last few decades, many corporates have shown vigorous enthusiasm in utilising solar energy to materialise path-breaking social endeavours.

Today, CSR projects in India have broadened the scope of leveraging technology for optimum utilisation of solar power to provide livelihood and basic amenities to societies in rural regions of the country.

We customise solutions to maximise the effectiveness of CSR initiatives keeping in mind the client’s parameters. Nimbus is innovative and adept at executing challenging projects deep in the heart of rural India.

A few challenging CSR initiatives executed by Nimbus:

We make it transparent & viable

You will find that most people have little idea about solar technology and are quick to assume that it is complicated, expensive & unreliable. While on the contrary, solar is dependable, inexpensive and the most preferred renewable energy source!

As a solar-driven company, Nimbus has been making significant transformations in the human lifestyle by using renewable energy to provide basic living facilities at different levels of society. We have reached out to the remotest of places in India. Our endeavours have been thoroughly supported and propagated by our NGO partners countrywide, many of whom are directly funded by the World Bank. (We execute our CSR projects in India through such NGOs from across India).

Not only are we putting in relentless efforts towards a greener tomorrow, but we are also helping users with an astounding cut down on their electricity costs.

Not only are we putting in relentless efforts towards a greener tomorrow with our CSR projects in India, but we are also helping users with an astounding cut down on their electricity costs.

Our CSR project

One of our recent CSR projects in India ventures with a corporate client was installing a solar-run filtration unit. A series of installations followed, along with eight toilets and a water ATM providing clean drinking water to over 500 individuals in that area. Needless to say, the project garnered high commendations from both the client and the people.

For innovative ideas for your next solar-based CSR project, get in touch with Nimbus solar, your CSR partner, for a brighter future!

Contact us for your company’s CSR Solar project

Why should you consider the Solar Drinking Water Solution project as your next CSR initiative?

1. India’s water sources are prone to contamination. According to statistics, almost 77 million people across India lack access to safe drinking water.
2. India ranked 120th in a survey of 123 nations on the safe water index by UNDP. This is because people in urban and rural areas are affected by water-borne diseases, primarily children.
3. According to World Bank reports, 21% of communicable diseases in India are due to unsafe water.
4. The death toll due to diarrhoea is 1600 per day.

The data on water and the related challenges will be clear with these visual data.

The map below illustrates competition between companies, farms and people for surface water in rivers, lakes, streams, and shallow groundwater. (http://www.wri.org/blog/2015/02/3-maps-explain-india’s-growing-water-risks)

The IWT 2.0 measures water quality with an Indian-government standard called the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). Surface and groundwater are both below par in many areas. (http://www.wri.org/blog/2015/02/3-maps-explain-india’s-growing-water-risks)

Solar drinking water solution initiative

This project deals with an integrated community-based intervention on water issues in urban and rural areas. It provides a low-maintenance and low-cost solar drinking water solution using a solar-powered pump that draws water from nearby lakes or groundwater into a storage tank. This water is then added to a filtration unit, which does not require power but uses water pressure to operate. The filtered water is collected in a collection tank connected to community taps where people can collect drinking water. The plant runs entirely on green energy without the support of grid electricity.

This project will have a widespread impact. We have listed a few of the benefits –

1. The filtration unit is easy to clean and maintain. Once the solar drinking water solution project is initiated, the community can be taught how to operate it. Installation and handover processes are easy. Unlike conventional filters that require energy, this one is easy to run. Turning a few knobs is all it takes to clean the filter.
2. In villages where we have implemented the solar drinking water solution project, there has been a decrease in diseases, especially water-borne diseases, skin diseases and infections, thereby improving the personal hygiene and per capita income of the community.
3. The children in these communities are healthier, enabling them to attend school regularly.
4. The women in the community do not have to travel far to collect water; hence, they can save time for other activities.
5. This project is based on a low-carbon initiative. It reduces emission footprints and promotes the use of renewable energy through community-based intervention.

We have executed similar solar drinking water solution projects across the country. Let’s see the viability of the project –

A long-term solution – Apart from the initial investment on this project, no further costs are incurred, as the maintenance costs are negligible, making it a long-term solution to many problems in the community.

Easy maintenance – The filtration unit requires cleaning and servicing every 14-30 days to ensure it is in continuous operation. This can be taught to anyone from the beneficiary community and is easy to operate.

Self-sustainable – The project is self-sustainable and is handed over to the villagers to manage. Once we help them divide the responsibilities amongst themselves to ensure the proper functioning of the system, within two months, we leave the village.

Abundant supply – The filtration unit delivers up to 10,000 litres of clean water daily, depending on the water contamination levels. The units are designed for a minimum of 5 years, with an expected service life of up to 10 years.

Highly efficient – This system can filter muddy water, groundwater etc., and filtered water has a ppm level that is permissible as per WHO standards.

Check out our current functional sites located in villages of western Maharashtra. – Solar Drinking water for School, Nimbus

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