Hill Waters & Wetlands for Communities & Wildlife- An initiative by Keystone Foundation, supported by HCL Grant

A village in Kotagiri district near Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve presents a misleading picture. Safe drinking water is not only a scarcity there but also a conflict zone between tribals, private land users and the animals and this is pretty much the story of entire region which is spread over 5500 sq km. For them a small intervention like first securing the main water spring, then opening two different channels for animals and human use, helped not only in mitigating the tension but also prevented the main water source from adulteration.

These customized solutions are a result of comprehensible search and collaborative efforts of Keystone Foundation, which is working towards adopting development and harmony between the needs of the people and the land they live on. Based out of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, their aim is to adopt methodologies that utilize natural resources judiciously and safeguard the needs of the indigenous people, animals and the environment. Founded in 1993, by Snehlata Nath and Pratim Roy, Keystone Foundation has been working on livelihood enterprise conservation model to enable ecological conservation efforts through first creating sustainable livelihood options for the Local Tribes.

Pratim Roy, the Director of Keystone Foundation says “that we do not understand the areas like Nilgiris, which are Natural Resource rich and do not know how to manage them. One of the approaches that the Foundation is taking to understand wetlands, springs and water is by constructing different ways of catching and purifying water at source and looking at community based water distribution systems.

About HCL Grant

Started in 2015, the HCL Grant is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitment by HCL, through HCL Foundation, to strengthen and empower NGOs, engage with them, as well as recognize them for their path breaking work. Currently focused at rural development, the HCL Grant is awarded in three thematic categories, namely Environment, Health and Education. The Grant is designed to support breakthrough award winning projects to NGOs, that have a proven track record of evident impact, high credibility and distinct ability to deliver. NGOs that reach out to marginalized, isolated, underserved and underdeveloped rural communities in India, and work jointly to achieve sustainable socio-economic development.

HCL Grant awards the winning NGOs in each of the categories of Education, Health and Environment INR 5 crore for a 5 years project.'

ImpaX is 'Stories of change' in social and development sector. This section brings to you a few selected interventions or stories of change-makers that have led to sustainable and positive impacts. If you know a person or organization that could be on 'ImpaX', please write to us at csr@ngobox.org