Ripple Effect: Baxter Clean Water Partnership to Help Indian Villages

India is experiencing historic water shortages, with an estimated 600 million people in the country experiencing “high to extreme water stress."¹ In addition, approximately 75 percent of households in India do not have access to drinking water in the home,¹ and must secure a safe external source of drinking water.

“Amongst the country’s biggest concerns are water shortages and inadequate access to clean drinking water, which are also major causes for health-related issues,” said Amish Vyas, senior director of Baxter Pharmaceuticals India Private Limited (BPIPL). “To deliver on our commitment to support healthy communities, the initial focus of our sustainability efforts will be to make drinking water easily available to villages near Baxter’s manufacturing site in Ahmedabad.” Ahmedabad is India's fifth largest city and home to almost 1,500 Baxter employees.

Baxter is investing approximately $420,000 USD in the program to enable testing of existing water sources to check for purity levels, install a community-level water purification system, organize awareness activities to educate on effects of consuming contaminated water, and help clean local bodies and help prevent waterlogging during monsoons, which can cause flooding. As of July 2020, Project Srujal has supported thousands of beneficiaries in the project villages through construction of water tanks, bore wells, cattle troughs, and rooftop rainwater harvesting structures. Besides water infrastructure, the project has steered a sustainability model by empowering people via necessary trainings and behaviour change communications.

The program is in partnership with advisory firm KPMG as our strategic partner, and with the Centre for Environment Education (CEE) as our implementation partner. CEE is a Centre of Excellence supported by the India Ministry of Environment and Forests, and—as part of its extensive mandate—has been a leading authority in India on water supply systems for more than 30 years.

“The way we live out our mission—to save and sustain lives—extends beyond the impact of our medical products. It’s about our presence and our actions including being an advocate for the communities in which we operate,” said Squire Servance, senior counsel, Baxter, who helped coordinate the water intervention program. “This program aligns with Baxter’s sustainability priorities and enables us to support our communities in an enduring way.”

While Project Srujal has been the first step in Baxter Ahmedabad’s journey of making a meaningful difference, “the multi-year project’s positive, sustainable impact on people in need is heartening,” said Rishikesh Jaiwant, director of Baxter Pharmaceuticals India Private Limited (BPIPL). 

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