MUMBAI: The water conservation efforts of Vedanta, the global diversified natural resources company, and its subsidiaries, led to recycling of nearly 34 MCM (34 billion liters) which is 22% of water used, during April 2014 – January 2015. “Water Conservation and its management is one of our top priorities and is considered pivotal in the decision-making process of new and existing projects. I am happy to share that we are committed towards achieving zero discharge in all our operations through 100% recirculation and reuse to ensure that none of the natural water sources are affected by our operations,” commented Tom Albanese, Group Chief Executive of Vedanta.
The Vedanta group has echoed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarion call for a ‘Swachh Bharat’ with a commitment to a cleaner environment, by signing and promising to implement the pledge for access to safe Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) at the work place. The WASH pledge is initiated by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) which brings businesses together to build a sustainable future. By signing this pledge, Vedanta, along with its group companies, is committed to ensure appropriate access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene at the workplace for all employees, in all premises under its control.
Key highlights of water management and conservation across the group include:
- Vedanta’s Aluminium refinery in Lanjigarh, Odisha, in India, is the first aluminium refinery in India with a zero discharge system which helps reduce usage of external water by over 60%.
- Bharat Aluminium Company (BALCO), Vedanta’s subsidiary in Chhattisgarh, India, has reduced the fresh water consumption by 13 % by improving the reliability of the dyke water recirculation pumps, in its business operations.
- Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL), the Vedanta group company in Rajasthan, India, has built Udaipur’s first domestic ‘Sewage Treatment Plant (STP)’, in association with the Government of Rajasthan and reuses the treated municipal wastewater for its plant operations. Further, HZL has also installed its first adiabatic cooling towers (ACTs), which reduce water usage by almost 80% to the normal cooling tower requirement.
