#EarthDay is a day of gratitude to Mother Earth and a day to reiterate our firm resolve to keep our planet clean and green.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) April 22, 2017

April 22nd is celebrated every year as Earth Day. For me personally, it holds special significance as it is also my birthday. Last year, I resolved to do my part in preserving the planet for the next generation. I focused on two areas — water conservation and increasing green cover by planting trees. In this post, I will share the water conservation efforts we have undertaken over the past year.

Water Usage

At the Cocoguru factory in Kallarpe, Puttur, we consume about 1.5 lakh litres of water each month. We have been fortunate to have access to a borewell and have relied on it as our sole water source. Water is used in the following areas:

• Steam generation – 35%
• Hot oil cooling – 25%
• Watering plants – 10%
• Canteen, washing, and toilets for 30 employees – 30%

We took efforts to carefully track water usage to identify areas for optimization and conservation.

Water Conservation Tactics

We approached water conservation from three directions:

1. Minimize water usage – Created awareness among staff to reduce wastage.
2. Reuse wastewater – Replaced fresh water use with reused water where possible.
3. Prioritize sustainable sources – Used rainwater, stream water, and open wells as primary sources. Borewell water is used only when other sources are unavailable.

Wastewater Management

Steam condensation and used drinking water are the primary sources of wastewater. We planted tree saplings and vegetable-yielding plants across available land and irrigated them using this wastewater. This not only reduced freshwater usage but also prevented wastewater from flowing into nearby streams and causing pollution.

Water Sources

• Rainwater – It rains heavily for four months (June to September). Rainwater is collected from the rooftops and directed for use.
• Stream Water – A stream adjacent to our land flows until the end of December. A check-dam built in November helps extend its availability until January. Although stream flow is strong during the monsoons, water is not needed during that time.
• Open Well – A 15-foot-deep open well was dug near the stream to collect shallow groundwater. It remains usable even during summer (February and March). The check-dam helps recharge the well and nearby aquifers.
• Borewell – Borewell water is now used only during peak summer (April and May). To keep the system operational, small quantities are drawn year-round for canteen and drinking purposes.

Expenses

• Open well: ₹80,000
• Rainwater collection system: ₹40,000
• Check-dam: ₹30,000
• Wastewater irrigation system: ₹15,000

Total Investment: ₹1.65 lakhs. As a result, borewell usage has reduced to just one-sixth of what it was last year.