Chennai, India – March 21, 2019 – The local community in Chengalpattu, Chennai, now has access to safe, clean and affordable drinking water, as a result of a partnership between BASF Catalysts India Private Limited, Waterlife India and the Gundur Gram Panchayat. This is the second community drinking water project in Chengalpattu by BASF. New water purification equipment in the form of a “water ATM” will serve more than 400 families every day, with an initial daily water processing capacity of approximately 8,000 liters.

The new facility was inaugurated by Brieux Boisdequin- Vice President, Automotive Businesses, Strategy & New Business Development for BASF South Asia. BASF employees and government officials also attended the inauguration ceremony, including Mr. P. Benjamin- Minister of Rural Industries, Mr. P. Ponnaih- I.A.S. District Collector of Kancheepuram, and Smt. Maragatham Kumaravel- member of Parliament.

The water ATM will be operated and maintained by Waterlife India, the project’s technical partner. To ensure the continued operation of the facility, an affordable user fee of seven Indian Rupees per 20 liters of clean drinking water will be charged to registered community members. Access to the water ATM also requires a one-time registration charge of 250 Indian Rupees. All user fees will directly cover relevant maintenance costs of the facility.

Since May 2018, water ATMs from BASF in Chengalpattu have supplied over 1.4 million liters of clean, safe drinking water to approximately 1,000 community households. The BASF team has also contributed to offering similar water ATMs for communities in Singaperumal Koli, Veerapuram, and Maraimalai Nagar making five water ATMs available for communities in Chennai. From March 2015 to January 2019, more than 3,300 households in Chennai have registered for the water ATMs, consuming over 12.36 million liters of clean drinking water.

BASF aims to positively contribute to society by leveraging available resources and existing networks. In India, the company focuses on supporting the UN Sustainable Development Goal 6 (“Clean Water and Sanitation”) and 4 (“Quality Education”). The community drinking water plants provide long-term and far-reaching benefits to the community – improving health by reducing the risk of water-borne diseases and contributing significantly towards their overall well-being and development.