The Blue Community Network is pleased to welcome Mayurbhanj Biological Research (MBR) as a new partner in India. Based in Odisha, MBR is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) and socio-scientific action group that works with the five ‘J’s’ of the environment: jal (water), jamin (land), jungle (forest), jan (people) and jeevan (life). It was established on 24 December 1999 and registered on 22 May 2000.
MBR’s mission is «to promote and encourage community access to decent food with nutritional value, environmental and livelihood security, agriculture, education, safe portable drinking water, health and energy services. MBR facilitates rational thinking through education, eco-friendly conservation and management technologies, and tree biodiversity to attain sustainable local food and nutrition security. It preserves the spirit of inquiry and scientific temper in all spheres of life to promote integrated human development and human personality.»
In its commitment to becoming a Blue Community, MBR aims «to create awareness and capacity building and network for clean water and sanitation is the fundamental rights for human survivals. We have the rights for such basic need. Advocacy workshop in policy and make dislodge, organised press conference for such basic and fundamental right. By organised workshop, education and develop the report for such share with the Government and people working for such issues.»
MBR plans to focus on ensuring safe, accessible public drinking water to eliminate the reliance on single-use bottled water, which contributes to massive plastic pollution and environmental damage. «By prioritizing public infrastructure, we can transition from a “bottled water” culture to a “refillable” culture, supporting environmental sustainability and public health.»
MBR foresees the following concrete measures:
- Public Refill Station Mapping: Partner with local, city-level, or NGO-led projects to map existing free, safe public water fountains in my area.
- “Refill” Campaign Advocacy: Launch a “Bring Your Own Bottle” (BYOB) campaign in my workplace or school to encourage refilling instead of buying, including setting up informational tables, as recommended by environmental school programs.
- Advocacy for Local Policies: Write to local representatives and business owners to demand the installation of water-refilling stations in public parks and to restrict the sale of single-use bottles.
- Behavioral Change: Shift consumer habits away from purchasing bottled water towards using personal reusable bottles (e.g., metal or glass).
- Policy Advocacy: Push for local policies that reduce single-use plastics and require businesses to offer free tap water.
Samir Kumar Sahu, Founder and Executive Director of MBR, states:
«Mayurbhanj Biological Research (MBR) believes that water is the only sustainable natural resource that can develop civilisation and humanity. Water and sanitation have a significant impact on our global climate, agriculture and livelihoods, and help to connect communities and reduce human-human conflict. Water is life; water is the blood of all plants and animals. By joining the Blue Community, MBR can reduce the gap on the ‘water and sanitation issue’ and connect communities to address the issue properly in preparation for future technocratic challenges.»
To meet MBR, visit their website and see their Blue Community page.
![ARJ FOUNDATION, [vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css="" bb_tab_container=""] Arj Foundation is a non-profit organization established in 2009 in Lucknow Uttar](https://blue-community.net/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Screenshot-2026-07-09-141630-414x224.png "Arj Foundation joins the Blue Community 5")
