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By Amanda Davis, Sr. Manager, CR and Environment
March 22 is World Water Day, an annual reminder of the critical need to preserve and expand global access to water.
To mark the occasion, Gen has partnered with Planet Water Foundation to bring clean, safe water to communities in rural India that need it most.
Gen team members in Chennai came together to construct a new AquaTower at Panchayat Union Middle School. The school serves more than 330 students in the nearby village of Gummipoondi, which has a population of more than 2,000 people. The new water filtration system can produce 1,000 liters of clean drinking water per hour and doubles as a handwashing station for students, caregivers and family members.
“Most of our students belong to low-income families, making it a challenge for them to purchase bottled water,” said Indumati G., the principal of the school. “We needed an AquaTower urgently to combat diseases among these children.”
According to the World Bank, India is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world. It is home to roughly 18 percent of the world’s population but only four percent of its water resources. Those who live in rural communities are at even greater risk of water scarcity due to the long distances they must travel to find water.
When clean water is scarce, as it was in Gummipoondi, residents are forced to drink contaminated water, which can carry diseases and lead to frequent illness. When students and their families are sick, they miss school and work and incur higher healthcare costs. The AquaTower not only reduces the spread of disease, but also helps students attend school more regularly, supporting the overall growth of the community.
The project is one of many that Planet Water Foundation has planned for World Water Day. The organization has reached more than four million people in impoverished communities across 28 countries through the installation of community-based water filtration systems and implementation of hygiene education programs.
Our work with Planet Water Foundation is part of our efforts to do our part to protect the planet and to enable our employees to take an active role in caring for the environment. You can read more about our environmental stewardship efforts, in our 2023 ESG Report.
