We took our mission of providing safe water to every household in rural India a few steps further last month. In partnership with FMC – an Agricultural Sciences Company, we inaugurated a whopping 12 new water purification centers (WPCs) spread across four states. Of these states, there were two in which we had never worked before – Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. 

Operating in new geographies came with its own set of challenges. The unforgiving heat of peak Indian summer didn’t help either but our teams’ high levels of passion and motivation towards the cause (and ample hydration of course!) were key to beating the heat and keeping the good work going.

M. Venkateshwar Rao, or MV as he is fondly called, manages our Community Engagement activities and led the plant inaugurations in the two new states. He talks about how he kept his team motivated during a month when challenges were abundant and rest days were few and far between. He says, “We are fortunate to have such an experienced and dedicated team. They were all pushed to their limits as travel times to these remote villages were long and strenuous. Entering new states is always challenging as we have to deal with new policies and compliances. The learning curve is steep. Language and culture can also be barriers. I am thrilled to report that all the beneficiaries and Gram Panchayat leaders were extremely happy with the level of expertise and professionalism that we demonstrated.”

M. Venkateshwar Rao (top row, second from right) with his team and residents of Kasod Shivpur, Maharashtra

The 12 new WPCs serve more than 40,000 rural residents who now have easy, affordable and reliable access to safe water. 

Among them is homemaker and mother of three, Aishwarya who says, “As a mother, I am always worried about the wellbeing of my children. Now that we have pure drinking water in our village, I know that their health will be better. I am very happy today because we don’t have to suffer from the problem of unsafe water anymore. Thank you, CPW!”

Locations of 12 new water purification centers inaugurated in April 2023