MUMBAI, INDIA: August 11, 2025 – Amazon today announced the launch of a groundwater recharge project in Maharashtra that is expected to replenish more than 1.3 billion litres of water annually once completed in 2027. The initiative, developed in collaboration with the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), aims to benefit local smallholder farms while addressing critical water scarcity challenges in the region. The project adds to Amazon's growing portfolio of water replenishment projects across India, which already includes major lake restoration efforts and community water projects across India.
"It is with immense pleasure that I welcome the initiative to replenish the Vaitarna River. Enhancing climate resilience in water-stressed communities is a key priority for the Maharashtra Government,” said Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra.“The collaboration between Amazon and ICRISAT to replenish groundwater in the Vaitarna basin is a vital step in this direction. The Vaitarna River is crucial not only for the Mumbai metropolitan region but also for Maharashtra's agro-systems and communities. Its regeneration will directly benefit our communities, farmers, and food systems. I commend Amazon's commitment to groundwater recharge in the Vaitarna basin, which will support our smallholder farmers and ensure water security for future generations. Given the challenges posed by climate change and groundwater depletion, such initiatives are both timely and essential. I look forward to the long-term benefits this project will bring to our people, agriculture, and environment. Once again, I congratulate and applaud everyone involved in this initiative and wish them the best for its success,” he added.
The project is expected to benefit the Vaitarna hydrobasin, which is crucial to the region's water security. Both Tansa and Lower Vaitarna reservoirs located within 15 kilometers of the project location provide more than 870 million liters of drinking water daily to Mumbai city. This initiative supports the water security of the Mumbai metropolitan region, where Amazon has significant operational presence including multiple corporate offices, AWSdata centers, and fulfilment centres.
“This groundwater replenishment project adds to our commitment to return more water to local communities in India than we use in our direct operations by 2027,” said Abhinav Singh, VP Operations, Amazon India and Australia. “By working upstream of Mumbai in the Vaitarna hydrobasin, we're not only addressing water scarcity challenges but also building long-term resilience for farming communities across Palghar district covering villages like Abitghar and Kabra in Maharashtra. This groundwater replenishment initiative is the latest addition to our growing water stewardship portfolio in India, which is expected to replenish more than 3 billion liters every year across multiple states like Telangana, Karnataka, Delhi and now Maharashtra.”
The project will implement a range of measures to replenish water, such as ponds to harvest rainwater, field bunding – where low embankments are built around fields – and improved drainage networks. These solutions aim to control soil erosion, increase water storage, provide irrigation supply, and boost local agricultural productivity while enhancing groundwater across the region.
“The states’ farmers often face extreme water scarcity that threatens their food security and livelihoods, while widespread soil degradation further compounds agricultural challenges” said Dr. Venkataradha A from ICRISAT. “This project with Amazon is estimated to create significant economic impact for local communities, with 700 families expected to see increased farm output during the Rabi season, boosting household incomes by about 80% and enhancing agricultural resilience in the water-stressed region.”
The groundwater recharge project in Maharashtra aligns with Amazon's aim to be a good water steward everywhere it operates. Amazon currently has an Amazon Web Services (AWS) data centre Region in Maharashtra where it has announced plans to invest $8.3 billion into cloud infrastructure by 2030. AWS works to minimize water use by using real-time data to identify leaks, leveraging on-site treatment technologies, fine-tuning mechanical cooling operational settings, and utilizing thousands of sensors to detect anomalies to alert operators of inefficiencies. Global infrastructure teams deploy cloud-based technology in AWS data centers to determine and track efforts to maintain or improve Water Usage Effectiveness (WUE). These efforts have helped AWS achieve a global data center WUE of 0.15 liters of water withdrawn per kilowatt-hour of IT Load (L/kWh) in 2024, a 17% improvement from 2023 and a 40% improvement since 2021.
In 2024, Amazon announced a goal to return more water to communities in India than it uses in its direct operations by 2027. In New Delhi, Amazon is working with social enterprise Hasten Regeneration on a replenishment project in the Yamuna River watershed, expected to replenish more than 400 million litres of water annually once completed. Amazon is also collaborating with SayTrees, a local environmental organisation, to undertake a comprehensive restoration of Yamare and Sai Reddy lakes in Bengaluru and Hyderabad. The projects, underway since January 2025, involve desilting the lakes, restoring bund formations, and repairing inlet and outlet structures. These efforts, once finished, are expected to replenish annually more than 270 million litres of water to Yamare Lake, and close to 300 million litres of water to Sai Reddy Lake, tripling its size.
More information about Amazon’s commitment to water conservation and restoration can be found on Amazon’s Water Stewardship website.
For more information, contact:
Kriti Ashok Amazon India kritiash@amazon.com