19 ponds catering to 3,000 people have been cleaned and rejuvenated before monsoons
Jharsuguda:Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, hasrejuvenated 19 village ponds in Jharsuguda, helping over 3,000 local residents meet their water needs. Community ponds in Katikela, Dalki, Parmanpur, Badmal, Keldamal, Sodhamal, and SamashingaGram Panchayatshave been cleaned, deepened and rejuvenated to ensure rainwater harvesting during monsoons and thereby ensure round-the-year water availability for households, agriculture, and livestock.
Vedanta Aluminium works with local communities, employee volunteers and water management professionals to carry out deep cleaning of the ponds for ground water recharge and rainwater harvesting, on an annual basis. This critical ecosystem restoration process helps revive crucial water resources and ensure water availability for thousands of people and local biodiversity. On World Water Day, Vedanta Aluminium’s employees volunteered to clean and restore the village pond in Baghiamal Gram Panchayat to raise awareness on water conservation, rainwater harvesting and shared responsibility in maintaining these water bodies. The company also performed the groundbreaking ceremony of a new Sewage Treatment Plant of 400 Kilo Litre per Day (KLD), that will help in effective reuse of water.
Speaking on the company’s commitment towards sustainable water management, Mr. Sunil Gupta, CEO – Vedanta Limited, Jharsuguda, said, “At Vedanta Aluminium, water management is integrated into the decision-making processes at and beyond our operations. Our endeavours to track and monitor local water availability while estimatingfuture needs, are aligned to our vision of becoming water positive by 2030. Waterbeing a crucial shared resource, we strive to ensure a sustainable water footprint by deploying best-in-class practices at our operations and creating water-resilient communities byaugmenting local water infrastructures,while also preserving and enhancing the ecology of the region in which we operate.”
Mr. Bhojraj Patel, Chairman &Ward Member, Kolabira Block Gram Panchayat, adds, “Vedanta Aluminium has been supporting our community in restoring and maintaining community ponds in the village, ensuring post-monsoon water availability for the residents. All pond cleaning activities are conducted in consultation withwater management experts. Over time, the revamped ponds in our block have benefitted not only local residents, but also livestock and biodiversity.”
Vedanta Aluminium has been working with local communities to create a positive water footprint in various ways, such as:
- Through Jeevika Samriddhi,Vedanta Aluminium’s sustainable livelihood project in agriculture, the company has been helping farming communities across Jharsuguda adopt advanced agricultural mechanisms like drip-irrigation, treadle pumps, solar powered water pumps, rainwater harvesting structures like percolation tanks, etc. to boost irrigation and reduce dependency on monsoons for cropping
- Construction of community water infrastructures like Minor River Lift Irrigation Points (MLRP), drip irrigation systems, check dams, Lift Irrigation (LI) / Community River Lift Irrigation (CRLP) points, and solar irrigation points to help communities get perennial access to water for household and irrigation purposes.Through this initiative, the company caters to nearly 226 acres of land, with approximately 52.5 lakh litres of water storage capacity.
- Annual restoration and rejuvenation of community waterbodies in the vicinity of its operations
- Building several water-related community infrastructures like tube wells, bore wells, ponds, percolation tanks, etc. to help communities access water for household and irrigation purposes
- Aiding district administration in supplying drinking water to peripheral communities during summer months
Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.27 million tonnes in FY22. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 2nd in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) 2022 world rankings for aluminium industry, a reflection of its sustainable development practices. With its world-class aluminium smelters, alumina refinery and power plants in India, the company fulfils its mission of spurring emerging applications of aluminium as the ‘Metal of the Future’ for a greener tomorrow.
