NGO leverages crowdfunding startup to build canals in drought-hit Marathwada

Drought-hit Marathwada is facing a tough ordeal with only one percent water left in dams in the region and people relying on rapidly depleting groundwater stock and special trains that ferry water to them. While hopes are pinned on the rainfall this year, the situation could be same again next year if proactive measures to conserve water are not taken. An Indore-based NGO Suryoday Parivar aims to do that by building canals that will allow them trap rainwater and use it, replenishing ground water tables in the process. The NGO informs that the cost of an 8 km long canal they plan to build at Murta in Osmanabad district of Maharashtra is Rs 6 lakh. The organisation is leveraging Fueladream.com’s crowdfunding platform to collecting the necessary amount. FuelADream.com was founded in mid-2015 by Ranganath Thota and is based in Bangalore. By raising funds for creative idea, causes and charities, the startup aims to impact 2.2 billion people in India, Africa and South East Asia. The startup has raised $250,000 in an initial round of funding over the last 8 months from individual investors from the corporate world. The startup’s primary role is to connect the campaign owners (people who want to raise money) to funders.