Dr Kiran Bedi, the Lieutenant Governor of Pondicherry, has been on a mission to make Puducherry “water-rich,” by driving efforts in water conservation and regeneration. Since May 2016, Dr Bedi along with her team have been driving “Mission Water Rich Puducherry,” an initiative to clean up ponds, lakes and water canals as part of Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The team has also been systematically reviewing the progress of the clean-up activities.
Under this drive, private factories and institutes were instructed to undertake desilting/removal of weeds along the water channels. Specific areas were also allocated to each of them. HUL’s Pondicherry factory was requested to clear a 7 km long channel starting from Kizhur village. In partnership with Dhan Foundation, the HUL team initiated this activity. The activity once successful would positively benefit 650 families while helping fill up tanks and ponds across 128 hectares.
As part of Mission Water Rich Puducherry, morning inspection rounds are done every weekend where Dr Bedi pays a visit to sites that are part of the water conservation activity.
During one such weekend in October 2018, Dr Bedi and the team of officials visited HUL’s channel clearing site at Kizhoor. HUL’s efforts in water conservation and social responsibility were lauded by Dr Bedi and the official team. They also inquired about the progress of earlier projects undertaken by HUL.
HUL’s Pondicherry team was not only commended for their enthusiastic contributions to the Mission but, they also won the “Swachhata hi Seva” award on 31st October 2018. The award recognizes the factory’s contribution towards the “Water Rich Puducherry Mission” and was presented by Dr Kiran Bedi herself.