A farmer in a village in the Sunderbans would travel a few kilometres every summer to fetch clean drinking water for his family.

If he were not travelling, Babai Mondal, in his 50s, who earns his livelihood through mangrove plantation, would have to buy drinking water, he said.

Mondal hopes that a rainwater harvesting plant set up in Godhkhali would solve the problem of water scarcity that he and many others face every summer.

"We are surrounded with water but it is salty and not fit to drink," Mondal said on Saturday.

The rainwater harvesting plant with a total capacity of 1,20,000 litre will cater to about 12,000 people in five villages in the Sunderbans, said those behind the project.

The project is an initiative of Young Indians (Yi) Kolkata chapter, the youth wing of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

"There is a shortage of water in the area during the summer months. Water in the area is salty and ground water level has gone down resulting in the pumps drying up and the villagers facing severe challenges to procure clean drinking water," said Baibhav Agarwal, chair, Yi Kolkata.

"The villagers would be charged 1 per litre to avoid misuse and wastage of water," said Agarwal.

The plant was inaugurated on Friday.

Swagata Das, 35, who was present during the inauguration, said that it would save her children and her family from water-borne diseases. "Unclean water results in diseases like diarrhoea and access to clean water would reduce that," said the mother of two.

Yi Kolkata adopted Godkhali village in January 2023, said Agarwal.

Since then various projects have been undertaken to make the village sustainable.

It includes setting up a stitching unit where 30 women of the village are engaged to make bags.

"They get orders from Calcutta and it helps to make them financially independent," said a youth wing member.

Yi has also set up a sanitary pad manufacturing unit in the village.