Vodafone India conserves rainwater for farmers

Vodafone India has identified a novel way to help farmers in the state of Maharashtra who are battling a serious water crisis causing financial and emotional distress.

Vodafone has adapted five of its large advertising billboards in Pune, India’s ninth most populous city, to collect rainwater for the farmers.

A u-curved aluminium sheet has been added to the top of each Rain Water Conservation Billboard as a funnel to collect the water. That funnel is then channelled through a tube to a 2,000 litre storage tank installed at the bottom of each hoarding.

A water sensor in the tank, powered by a Vodafone SIM card, enables the company to monitor the water level remotely. An SMS is automatically sent when the tank is full. The water collected is then transferred to water tankers and taken to the farmers.

Vodafone began collecting rainwater in July 2016. After four weeks, around 20,000 litres of water had been collected and donated to farmers.

Ashish Chandra, Business Head for Maharashtra and Goa, Vodafone India, said:

“The state of Maharashtra has been dealing with water shortages for a few years now. Every single drop of water is extremely precious. Rainwater, if harvested properly, can meet a large part of our requirements. We aim to do our bit in conserving this precious resource to help the farmers in the areas facing a water crisis.”