Mumbai, March 20, 2026: Marico Limited organised a ‘Women Water Meet’ in Umale village of Jalgaon district, Maharashtra, as part of its Jalashay Jalsamruddhi Programme, highlighting the role of women in water conservation and community water management.
Held under the Paanishala initiative and aligned with International Women’s Day and World Water Day, the event brought together over 110 women, including representatives from Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), ASHA workers, and Self-Help Groups (SHGs) from seven villages.
The meet served as a platform for knowledge exchange, enabling participants to share experiences and discuss local solutions related to sustainable water use. Sessions included discussions on aquifer mapping, groundwater awareness, and community-led water governance. Interactive activities and group exercises were also conducted to reinforce key conservation practices.
A symbolic hand-imprint activity was organised, where participants created a water-drop motif to represent collective responsibility towards water stewardship. The event concluded with a pledge by attendees to adopt and promote water-saving practices in their communities.
Amit Bhasin, Chief Legal Officer, Group General Counsel, and Secretary of the CSR Committee, Marico Limited, said, “Empowering women in water governance is essential to building resilient communities. The Jalashay Jalsamruddhi Programme is rooted in the belief that sustainable water management must be community-led, with women’s voices and leadership at its core. Through projects like the Women Water Meet under the Paanishala initiative, women from across villages came together to deepen their understanding of groundwater, exchange knowledge, and strengthen their role as custodians of this vital resource. By placing gender equity at the heart of water stewardship, we are catalysing scalable, community-driven impact, where informed participation today shapes healthier, more sustainable ecosystems for tomorrow.”
Marico’s Jalashay initiative is designed to replenish more water than the company consumes annually. The programme operates across Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Gujarat, focusing on community-led interventions such as water budgeting, groundwater recharge, and promotion of sustainable agricultural practices like drip irrigation and rainwater harvesting.
To date, the initiative has created over 487 crore litres of water potential, benefiting more than 4,000 farmers and their families. The programme adopts a dual approach—demand-side interventions under Paanishala to improve water-use efficiency, and supply-side interventions under Jal Samruddhi to enhance water storage and recharge.
Through these efforts, Marico aims to strengthen water resilience in water-stressed regions while contributing to broader sustainability goals, including responsible water management and community empowerment.
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