Honeywell today announced that it has received the HYSEA CSR Award at the 25th annual summit of the Hyderabad Software Enterprises Association (HYSEA), an apex regional body with more than 300 members representing the software industry in Hyderabad, one of India’s top IT hubs. Honeywell has been recognized for its “innovative and path breaking initiatives in the areas of community development and environment protection” for its corporate social responsibility program in Telangana.
Honeywell is funding 60 safe water stations in the state via its not-for-profit partner, Safe Water Network. These stations are already providing safe drinking water access to more than 200,000 people in areas that suffer acute water shortage and groundwater contamination from fluorides.
Vikas Chadha, President, Honeywell India, said, “We are honored to receive this prestigious recognition for our program. This is one of our flagship corporate social responsibility programs that is bringing about a sea change in the health, productivity, and livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of people.” He further said, “Honeywell is deeply invested in the region through our strong presence, including a state-of-the-art global technology development center and close to 1,000 local engineering employees, many of whom volunteer and participate in the program to raise awareness about safe drinking water.”
Under the program, Honeywell and Safe Water Network set up locally-owned and locally-operated safe water stations that deliver safe, affordable, and reliable water to those in need. Community engagement is key to promoting safe water adoption, which begins with door-to-door consumer outreach. Local stakeholders are mobilized to ensure people understand that investing in safe water will help reduce healthcare expenses. These stakeholders include the sarpanch (village head), Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA), Anganwadi workers, registered medical practitioners, Auxiliary Nurse Midwifery (ANM) nurses, and teachers.
Honeywell and Safe Water Network have also successfully launched three solar-enabled safe water stations with another four in the pipeline. This will enable uninterrupted power supply and reduced power costs.
Ravi Sewak, Country Director, Safe Water Network India, said, “Through on-ground community engagement, Honeywell and Safe Water Network have been converting traditional mindsets and reviving the centuries-old habit of treating water as a freely available and safe commodity. Communities are accessing safe water conveniently from water ATMs using their precharged RFID card. Now, we see more men collecting water instead of women who traditionally had to walk miles to fetch and carry water to their homes. We are poised to replicate and scale this model in other clusters.”
Safe Water Network has been working alongside communities in Ghana and India since 2009 to establish decentralized and locally-owned community water supply systems that provide affordable, reliable and safe off-grid drinking water. Over the past seven years, Safe Water Network India has established more than 170 iJal safe water stations in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh, providing access of safe water to over 600,000 beneficiaries. The not-for profit organization works along with local governments (Panchayati Raj Institutions) and enable local communities / entrepreneurs by providing training, tools and support to enable financially sustainable iJal stations. The communities buy safe drinking water at nominal rate of Rs 5 per 20-liter can for walk-in consumers.
