Representative landscapeWater stewardship
Funded by Nike Inc. and designed and implemented by SIV Impact. This completed watershed project combines three check dams with channel restoration to support groundwater recharge and farming communities in Madipakkam.
DELIVERY UPDATE
Reported
Conserving Blue to Sustain Green was delivered between May 2024 and June 2025. The completed works include three masonry check dams, 600 metres of channel clearing and restoration, and removal of 3,600 cubic metres of accumulated silt.
Masonry check dams completed
Channel cleared and restored
These are completed construction outputs. The 30 MGY annual replenishment target is separate from delivered infrastructure and one-time storage capacity.
REPORTED PROJECT REACH
Within the reported watershed project footprint
Farmland within the project’s coverage
Included in the reported coverage
MADIPAKKAM, TIRUVANNAMALAI DISTRICT
The project is in Madipakkam Village, Thathanur Panchayat, Anakkavur Block, Tamil Nadu. The completion report describes farmers experiencing more dependable irrigation and bringing more land into cultivation.
Community meetings reviewed completed works, operating issues and upkeep needs. Keeping the channel clear and the check dams maintained is central to sustaining the benefit.
Households, farmland and wells describe the project’s reported reach. Farmer feedback is qualitative; changes in farm income, crop yield and household water access have not been quantified here.
COMMUNITY IMPACT · RESEARCH CONTEXT
Research from Indian watershed programs points to three important benefits. These studies often combine check dams with other soil and water measures, so they explain potential pathways for impact rather than results attributable to this project alone.
01 · FARM LIVELIHOODS
Where local conditions support recharge, retaining seasonal runoff can improve nearby groundwater availability. ICRISAT’s work in Anantapuramu links check dams and other water-conservation structures with better access to irrigation, including cultivation beyond the rainy season. For farming families, this can support crop planning and reduce exposure to dry spells.
ICRISAT: irrigation and livelihoods02 · HOUSEHOLD TIME & COST
In ICAR’s Parasai–Sindh watershed case study, improved water availability reduced the time farmers spent irrigating and eased drinking-water collection, including work carried by women. Similar benefits in Madipakkam would depend on well performance, household access and water use, and need local assessment.
ICAR: household and farming benefits03 · COMMUNITY STEWARDSHIP
IWMI’s MARVI research shows how village monitoring and groundwater cooperatives can help farmers agree on water use and access. Tracking rainfall and wells, discussing crop demand and maintaining recharge structures can make infrastructure more useful over time and help communities manage a limited shared resource.
IWMI: community groundwater managementWell availability through the seasons, irrigated area, crop patterns, irrigation costs, time spent securing water and access across households can show how water infrastructure affects daily life. These measures need to be assessed alongside rainfall, groundwater use, maintenance and downstream water needs.
THE CHALLENGE
Madipakkam’s farming community faces seasonal runoff losses, groundwater pressure and silted watercourses. When rainfall leaves the landscape quickly, nearby wells and farms have less support between wet periods. Restoring the channel and slowing runoff creates more opportunity for water to infiltrate close to where it is needed.
THE APPROACH
Three masonry check dams slow flow along the watercourse. Channel restoration included clearing overgrown vegetation, dewatering and removing 3,600 cubic metres of silt from a 600-metre section. The restored section measures approximately 600 metres by 10 metres by 0.6 metres, giving it about 3.6 million litres of one-time holding capacity. Replenishment depends on rainfall, infiltration, groundwater conditions and ongoing upkeep.
SIV’S ROLE
SIV Impact designed and implemented Conserving Blue to Sustain Green, with funding from Nike Inc. Our role connected project planning, delivery coordination and community water priorities. Hand in Hand India served as the local implementation partner, working with community stakeholders on delivery and stewardship.
INTENDED VALUE
The completion report records farmers describing more reliable irrigation and more land under cultivation. These are reported experiences, rather than quantified changes in yield or household income. The long-term objective is more dependable local water availability, supported by maintenance and fair access to the shared resource.
PROJECT PARTNERS
Funded by Nike Inc. and designed and implemented by SIV Impact, with Hand in Hand India as the local implementation partner and participation from community stakeholders.
DELIVERY & REPLENISHMENT
Annual replenishment target: approximately 113.6 million litres/year
One-time holding capacity of the restored channel
Accumulated silt removed during restoration
Assessing replenishment requires a water balance covering rainfall, runoff, infiltration, evaporation and groundwater use. Seasonal well records, structure condition and maintenance logs help establish performance. Groundwater-level changes need consistent measurement dates and reconciliation of the underlying records before quantitative results are published.
MGY means million US gallons per year. The annual target is distinct from one-time channel storage and has not been reported here as a verified annual result.
RELATED WORK
Water stewardship / Chennai, India
Neer Ezhil Palli, with Microsoft and Tamil Nadu’s School Education Department. Phase 1 is complete at five schools; Phase 2 is underway at ten more.
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Designed and implemented by SIV Impact for Amazon, this modular water reclamation project at Kotturpuram has expanded to 1 MLD capacity, connecting sewage treatment with planned reuse and healthier local waterways.
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