BASF and Waterlife India provide safe drinking water to Veerapuram community in Chennai, India
- Second community drinking water plant inaugurated at Chennai, with capacity of 24,000 liters per day using BASF’s ultrafiltration technology
- Long-term educational program to strengthen water safety, hygiene and sanitation
Chennai, India – March 1, 2016 – With a new community drinking water plant, BASF Catalysts India Private Limited (BASF), Waterlife India and the Gram Panchayat of Veerapuram are bringing clean and affordable drinking water to the community in Veerapuram, Chennai. As the second community drinking water plant in Chennai sponsored by BASF, it is equipped with BASF’s inge ultrafiltration technology to treat drinking water and have a daily water processing capacity of 24,000 liters.
Waterlife India will undertake operations and maintenance of the plant for a period of ten years to ensure that the program remains sustainable and the community continues to enjoy the benefits in the long-term. Waterlife India will also conduct regular stringent checks and audits to ensure that the water and services provided to the community are of consistently high quality. In addition to the community water plant, Waterlife will put into place a variety of educational programs and measures to strengthen the community’s awareness towards safe water consumption, hygiene and sanitation.
The community outreach program was kicked off at the Panchayat Union Middle School in Paranur, Veerapuram. During the outreach program, students were educated on the benefits of safe drinking water and hygiene. The implementation of the program will be managed by Waterlife India in close cooperation with the local stakeholders.
“At BASF, we share the vision of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan initiative to help make India clean and hygienic. We have therefore once again partnered with Waterlife India to build a second community water plant in Chennai. The first plant is currently benefiting residents in Singaperumalkoil. We hope that the second plant will also help the local community in Veerapuram enjoy clean and affordable drinking water on a daily basis,” said Raman Ramachandran, Chairman and Managing Director, BASF India Limited and Head, BASF South Asia.
“Chennai was badly affected by floods in November last year and this is our small contribution to bringing safe drinking water back to the local community. Along with developing this plant, we will also conduct awareness programs to promote healthy living among the residents. Schools are our key partners, as schoolchildren are instrumental in driving behavioral changes over the long-term,” said Vaidyanathan B., Managing Director, BASF Catalysts India Private Ltd.
“Waterlife India is a pioneer in providing sustainable water solutions to remote rural and urban areas. Today, as we bring our solution to Veerapuram village, we continue to move forward on our goal of making access to safe water a reality for everyone. We are excited to partner with BASF, who is a pioneer in their field and share our vision of sustainably trying to solve the big water challenge,” said Mohan Ranbaore, Co-founder and Executive Director, Waterlife India.
About Waterlife India
Waterlife India (www.waterlifeindia.com) has set up more than 4500 systems to provide safe water in over 15 states in India and is a pioneer in providing sustainable safe water solutions to underserved communities, while focusing on green and environmentally friendly technologies. This, coupled with affordability to the underserved sections, has been the crux of the Waterlife model, which the company believes will drive it to its vision of providing safe water to all.
About BASF India
BASF has successfully partnered India’s progress for more than 125 years, with all global businesses maintaining a presence in India today except for Oil & Gas. As of the end of 2015, BASF in India had 2,236 employees at nine production sites & eight sales offices, as well as two R&D centers, located in Mumbai and Mangalore. In 2015, BASF registered sales of approximately €1.1 billion to customers in India. Further information is available on the Internet at www.basf.com/in.
About BASF
At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 112,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of more than €70 billion in 2015. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (AN). Further information at www.basf.com.
