Water table rose 5–10 feet
Measurable rise in groundwater levels across all three rainwater harvesting programmes in Manur Block — with improved water security for agriculture and livestock.
Rainwater harvesting CSR activities
A multi-year CSR partnership with ATC Tyres (through United Way, Mumbai), TATA Power, Krishna Mines, Cheran Spinning Mills and Bhuvaneshwari Cotton Mills — rejuvenating water bodies and recharging groundwater in the water-stressed Manur Block of Tirunelveli and parts of Karur District.
63,000
Farmers benefited, ATC Tyres project
118
Recharge shafts
18
Traditional tanks desilted
51,310
Trees planted
The project
What this project set out to do
Project mission
High-impact rainwater harvesting projects partnering with leading corporate entities to address critical water scarcity, enhance agricultural resilience and promote sustainable livelihoods — improving water security by rejuvenating traditional water bodies, increasing groundwater recharge, and empowering communities with the knowledge and infrastructure for effective water management.
Since 2018, Coodu Trust has partnered with several leading corporate entities — ATC Tyres (through United Way, Mumbai), TATA Power, Krishna Mines, Cheran Spinning Mills and Bhuvaneshwari Cotton Mills — to deliver rainwater harvesting projects under Corporate Social Responsibility mandates. Work focused on the water-stressed Manur Block in Tirunelveli District and parts of Karur District: the ATC Tyres project began across 1,200 hectares in 2018–19 and covered 18 villages, while Cheran Spinning Mills supported work in village water bodies in Kadavur Block, Karur.
The partnerships built a full spectrum of water infrastructure: 18 traditional tanks desilted — seven each under TATA Power and Krishna Mines, four more with ATC Tyres — plus 118 recharge shafts (67 ATC Tyres, 22 TATA Power, 21 Krishna Mines, 8 under the ATC Tyres climate adaptation project), 25 baby ponds, 90 metres of trench banding and 125 rooftop rainwater harvesting systems for households.
Planting ran alongside the civil works: 41,250 trees with ATC Tyres, 5,600 with Krishna Mines and 4,460 with TATA Power — Palmyrah, mango, sapota, tamarind, lemon and other horticultural species in tank areas and on farmers' land — followed by 8,450 Palmyrah seeds along tank bunds and a further 4,250 Palmyrah and native trees on bunds in 2024–25.
The key strategy was active community participation: forming local user groups — 13 with ATC Tyres, 7 with Krishna Mines, 5 with TATA Power, and Village Natural Resource Management Committees in 2024–25 — and running extensive capacity-building programmes so that farming communities, households and livestock keepers own and sustain the created assets for the long term.
- Water body rejuvenation
- Groundwater recharge
- Community empowerment
- Afforestation & greening
Why this work matters
The challenge on the ground — and our answer
The challenge
Silted tanks and falling groundwater
In water-stressed blocks like Manur, traditional tanks lose their storage to silt and rain runs off instead of recharging aquifers — leaving farms without reliable water.
Our response
Rebuild the recharge infrastructure
18 traditional tanks desilted, 118 recharge shafts, 25 baby ponds and 90 metres of trench banding built — and the water table rose by 5–10 feet across the project villages, letting farmers take three crops a year instead of one or two.
The challenge
Assets that fail without local ownership
Water structures built for communities — rather than with them — often fall into disuse once the project team leaves, with no local structure to maintain them.
Our response
User groups and capacity building
25 user groups formed as local management structures — 13 across 13 villages with ATC Tyres, 7 across 5 villages with Krishna Mines and 5 with TATA Power — backed by capacity-building on rainwater harvesting, agriculture and animal husbandry.
At a glance
The essentials
- Scheme
- CSR partnershipMulti-year initiative implemented under Corporate Social Responsibility mandates
- Period
- 2018–2025Ongoing; the ATC Tyres programme continued into 2024–25 across 7 villages of Manur Block
- Coverage
- Tirunelveli & KarurPrimarily the water-stressed Manur Block, Tirunelveli District, and parts of Karur District including Kadavur Block
- Beneficiaries
- Farming households63,000 farmers under the ATC Tyres project, 8,054 under TATA Power and 6,062 under Krishna Mines — reported separately, not to be added together
- Corporate partners
- 5 partner projectsATC Tyres (through United Way, Mumbai), TATA Power, Krishna Mines, Cheran Spinning Mills, Tiruppur & Bhuvaneshwari Cotton Mills
- Delivered by
- Coodu TrustCommunity participation through 25 user groups and capacity-building programmes
Outcomes
What the project changed
25–30% cultivable area expansion
Cultivable area increased by 30% in the ATC Tyres villages and 25–30% under TATA Power and Krishna Mines, enabling three cropping cycles a year instead of one or two.
Community ownership that lasts
25 user groups and capacity-building programmes ensured long-term sustainability of assets, while afforestation drives enhanced ecosystem resilience and biodiversity.
Get involved
Support water security for farming communities
Join us in rejuvenating traditional water bodies, recharging groundwater and building community-owned water infrastructure across Tamil Nadu — work proven at scale with our CSR partners.