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Imagine a lovely farmland where the soil gradually turns white with salt and the well water becomes too sour to drink. For decades, the coastal residents of Gir Somnath, Gujarat, faced a brutal reality. The sea was gaining, pushing inland and transforming lush acres into “Dark Zones.” But today, the tide has shifted.
Ambuja Cements has successfully pushed back the salt using a large, transformative water management effort, restoring life and livelihoods to over 200,000 farmers and their families. This is more than just a narrative about business responsibility; it’s a lesson in ecological restoration.
Table of Contents
The Invisible Enemy: Salinity Ingress
In coastal Gujarat, the over-extraction of groundwater created a vacuum that the Arabian Sea was all too happy to fill. This process, known as salt incursion, contaminated the nearby aquifers.
Soil Degradation: Salt-heavy water destroyed crop yields.
Health Hazards: Drinking water became scarce and unsafe.
Economic Migration: Farmers were compelled to leave their ancestral lands.
Ambuja Cements Strategic Blueprint
To solve a problem of this magnitude, Ambuja Cements focused on a 600 sq. km area, implementing a “Supply and Demand” strategy. They didn’t just look for more water; they altered the way the community used every drop.
Strengthening the Water Supply
Keeping the rainwater on land to force the seawater back was the straightforward objective.
Check Dams: More than 235 check dams were built to collect monsoon runoff.
Interlinking Canals: 69 kilometers of canals were constructed to divert extra water to drought-prone areas.
Repurposing Mines: Former quarries were transformed into enormous water storage reservoirs.
Recharge Structures: Deepened existing ponds to improve groundwater replenishment.
Managing the Demand
Restoring the water was only half of the battle. Ambuja Cements collaborated directly with the farmers to ensure that the freshly recovered resources were not wasted.
Drip Irrigation: We partnered with approximately 6,000 farmers to implement micro-irrigation.
Precision Farming: Optimized water use across 8,603 hectares of land.
Community Education: Established “Paani Samitis” (Water Committees) to give residents responsibility over their resources.
A Region Transformed: The Impact by Numbers
The effects of this initiative are astounding. The “Dark Zone” is currently experiencing a strong agricultural renaissance.
| Impact Metric | Achievement |
| Farmers Benefited | Over 200,000 |
| Water Returned to Community | 39.89 Million Cubic Meters (MCM) |
| Availability Increase | Water access extended from 4 to 8 months |
| Drinking Water Security | 4,000+ rooftop harvesting systems installed |
| Water Positivity | Ambujanagar plant is 21.1x water positive |
From Single Crop to Three-Season Prosperity
Before the intervention, farmers in Gir Somnath struggled to grow even one successful crop per year due to the salty soil. Today, the landscape appears completely different.
The Multi-Crop Revolution As fresh groundwater levels rise by 2 to 12 meters, farmers have switched to cultivating crops in three seasons. This decision has tripled their potential revenue while simultaneously ensuring the region’s year-round food security.
Sustainable Coastal Living Ambuja Cements provided safe, salt-free drinking water to even the most remote communities by building rooftop rainwater gathering systems in 76 coastal settlements. The frequency of water-borne illnesses and the physical “drudgery” that women used to endure when they had to go miles for a single pot of water have both drastically decreased as a result.
Gujarat’s achievements can be used as an example for other coastal regions throughout the world. It demonstrates that with proper engineering and community cooperation, we can return our land from the sea.
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