Gen increases access to clean water in rural India


04/16/2023


As we begin our Earth Month celebrations, we are reminding people of the importance of ensuring global access to clean water. On this year's World Water Day, March 22, we answered the call to action for the third year in a row.

Gen collaborated once more with the Planet Water Foundation to bring clean drinking water to rural communities in India. For this year's project, Gen volunteers collaborated with representatives from the Planet Water Foundation to build a new AquaTower at the Arignar Anna Municipal School in Anumandputheri, Tamil Nadu, a village of 2,250 people.

“We are so glad Gen has returned as one of our World Water Day program partners for 2023,” said John Deotrakul, Director of Global Communications & Development for Planet Water Foundation.

“We have already seen the enormous impacts that our work together in past years has had on communities in Keerapakkam  and Vandavasi, and we are thrilled to expand those efforts with this new AquaTower in Anumandputheri. The safe drinking water and hand-washing access that these projects provide revolutionize the overall health and wellness of these communities.”

Waterborne diseases cause a spike in absenteeism at the Arignar Anna Municipal School, which serves 340 elementary and middle school students. Due to the lack of a water filtration system in the village, students are forced to drink polluted water, and the illnesses that result cause them to miss school.

The AquaTower is a water filtration system that can produce 1,000 litres (approximately 265 gallons) of clean drinking water per hour and also serves as a hand-washing station for students, caregivers, and family members. The clean water provided by this system will help keep these children healthy enough to attend school and will help prevent illnesses in the school community and beyond.

This project also contributes to progress towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6, which calls for universal access to clean water and sanitation by 2030. Gen supports SDG 6 and several other SDGs, which are discussed in greater detail in our 2022 Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Report.

Planet Water Foundation has been responding to the global water crisis since 2009, delivering safe drinking water via the AquaTower, water-health and hygiene behaviors via education programs, and surface disinfection systems via AquaSan equipment. In 26 countries, the organisation has reached over three million people.

One example of Gen's commitment to environmental stewardship is our partnership with Planet Water Foundation.

To read how Gen helps protect the planet, click here to read its 2022 ESG Report.