Vedanta Aluminium partners with TÜV SÜD in an effort to turn net water positive. Under this partnership, Vedanta Aluminium and TÜV will chart the roadmap for the company’s water positivity goal by working in the areas of the baseline study, bolstering the accounting process for water consumption, capacity building for continual improvement and conservation, and implementing innovative solutions & initiatives for a sustainable water footprint.
Each of the company’s business units has undertaken water-screening assessments, using the World Resource Institute (WRI) Aqueduct Tool to identify sensitive aquatic habitats, water availability and dependence on shared water sources. Basis this, the company anticipates and evaluates the degree of potential environmental and social risks related to water and implements customised water management plans for each location.
Vedanta Aluminium follows a 4-pillared approach to sustainable water management, which includes:
- Monitoring water usage
- Ensuring maximum water re-utilisation
- Creating a positive footprint: On-site reservoirs and rainwater harvesting infrastructures have been created to increase the quantum of water captured and ultimately replenish more water than is consumed by the company. Nine rainwater harvesting infrastructures were constructed in the last fiscal alone, having a combined water saving potential of 194 million litres.
- Enabling communities’ access to water and climate-smart agriculture
The company was able to recycle 15 billion litres of water for inhouse consumption.
Regarding the company’s partnership with TÜV SÜD, Rahul Sharma, CEO – of Vedanta Aluminium, said, “There is immense pressure on global water resources, exacerbated by the climate crisis. Our underlying objective is to ensure water security of our operations and our local communities access to good quality water while helping maintain the ecological balance in the process,”
Bratin Roy, Senior Vice-President, Industrial Services, TÜV SÜD South Asia, Southeast Asia, Middle East and Africa Region (ASMEA), said, “With this partnership, we look forward to creating a sustainable water footprint that will benefit India’s aluminium producer, the local communities and the environment,”