Women in bright saris at work beside the water in the Sundarbans

Who is Planet Mama?

Empowering women.Restoring the planet.

Planet Mama is a water, nature and climate restoration organisation headquartered in Kolkata. We work with communities, and particularly with women, to restore the water systems that people and ecosystems depend on.

01Our story

Started with water. Grew with the system.

Planet Mama began with a simple observation from the Bengal delta: water problems don’t come one at a time.

A village without safe sanitation pollutes its own pond. A falling water table makes salinity worse. Lost mangroves expose embankments to the tide, and a breached embankment salts fields and wells alike. The burden of all of it falls first on women.

So our work grew along the water: from eco-sanitation and safe drinking water, to groundwater science and digital twins, to reviving ponds and wetlands, to women-led mangrove restoration and high-integrity blue carbon. Headquartered in Kolkata, Planet Mama collaborates with national and international organisations, governments, research institutions, corporates and local communities.

02Our mission

To restore the water systems that allow communities and ecosystems to thrive, led by the people who depend on them.

03Our approach

Five principles behind every project.

See the five restoration systems

01
Systems, not silos
We restore connected water systems, so WASH, groundwater, wetlands, mangroves and carbon are designed together.
02
Women lead
Women manage water every day. In our work they lead nurseries, cooperatives and water planning, and are paid for it.
03
Evidence before claims
Every figure carries its status. We show gaps rather than guesses.
04
Science meets local knowledge
Geophysics, remote sensing and digital twins alongside the knowledge of people who know the land.
05
Built to last
Community ownership, local skills and long-term finance, so restoration outlives the project cycle.