Efforts on to turn water scarcity into abundance in Coimbatore village

In a a small village near Sulur known as Appanaickenpatti, Rajendran, a community leader is turning water scarcity into an opportunity for change. Appanaickenpatti has long faced water challenges, with poor groundwater availability, dry waterbodies and disconnected water channels that prevent rainwater from being effectively harvested.

Mr. Rajendran refused to accept this as the village’s fate. With an in-depth understanding of the village’s environment conditions and water resources, he reached out to government departments to explore schemes, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) support that could address these challenges.

The efforts led to a lift irrigation project that diverted otherwise unused rainwater to Jangamanaicken pond Today, the pond is receiving more water during rainfall, bringing renewed hope for water conservation in the village, says Janardhanan, a local resident.

And Mr. Rajendran didn’t stop there. He continued to pursue the government convergence for cleaning and restoring water channels. Through collaboration with another NGO, he also facilitated the development of percolation wells along the channels to help rainwater seep into the ground. The water channels and check dams restored through the government schemes are now holding water around Appanaickenpatti, strengthening local water conservation efforts and supporting groundwater recharge.