For over 40 years, the well and bore well in the campus of Kennametal Widia India Limited, a metal cutting tools and machine tools manufacturing company, on Tumkur Road lay dry.  This despite the fact, that the rainwater run-off on the 30 acre campus of Kennametal Widia was more than 10 crore litres per year.

Until the company went in for rainwater harvesting in a big way, with technical support from Mr. Ayyappa Masagi, Managing Trustee of Water Literacy Foundation and Ashoka Foundation Fellow.

Self sufficient
Today Kennametal Widia not only has sufficient water but has recharged its well and bore well and increased water levels in bore wells in the surrounding village of Bagalgunte, Company Secretary Mr. Ramprasad said at a press meet in Bangalore on Saturday.

“Water has filled up to a level of 50 feet in a 60-feet deep well after the rainwater harvesting project was initiated.  Besides, nearly 80 percent of the 10 crore litres of water has been retained in the last one year,” says Mr. Masagi, who designed the blueprint for the rainwater harvesting project. 

Two huge ponds, 20 ft. deep and 180 ft wide, were created with a capacity to collect around 35 lakh litres of storm water together along with smaller lakes in the nearby areas.  Two tanks of 50,000 litres and 80,000 litres capacity were also built to harvest rooftop water.  Water harvesting has been facilitated at the parking lots and the landscaping has been changed to facilitate water infiltration into the ground.