Vedanta Aluminium rejuvenates village ponds in Jharsuguda to aid local populace

28th March 2023

  • 19 ponds catering to 3,000 people have been cleaned and rejuvenated before monsoons

Jharsuguda, Odisha; 28th March 2023: Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, has rejuvenated 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 Samashinga Gram Panchayats have 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 estimating future needs, are aligned to our vision of becoming water positive by 2030. Water being 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 by augmenting 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 with water 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.

About Vedanta Limited:

Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of Vedanta Resources Limited, is one of the world’s leading Oil & Gas and Metals company with significant operations in Oil & Gas, Zinc, Lead, Silver, Copper, Iron Ore, Steel, and Aluminium & Power across India, South Africa and Namibia. For two decades, Vedanta has been contributing significantly to nation building. Governance and sustainable development are at the core of Vedanta's strategy, with a strong focus on health, safety, and environment. Vedanta has put in place a comprehensive framework to be the ESG leader in the natural resources sector. Vedanta is committed to reducing carbon emissions to zero by 2050 or sooner and has pledged $5 billion over the next 10 years to accelerate the transition to net zero operations. Giving back is in the DNA of Vedanta, which is focused on enhancing the lives of local communities. The company’s flagship social impact program, Nand Ghars, have been set up as model anganwadis focused on eradicating child malnutrition, providing education, healthcare, and empowering women with skill development. Under the aegis of the Anil Agarwal Foundation, the umbrella entity for Vedanta’s social initiatives, the Vedanta group has pledged Rs 5000 crore over the next five years on social impact programmes with a thrust on nutrition, women & child development, healthcare, animal welfare, and grass-root level sports. Vedanta and the group companies have been featured in Dow Jones Sustainability Index, and was conferred Frost & Sullivan Sustainability Awards 2020, Golden Peacock Award for excellence in Corporate Governance 2022 and certified as a Great Place to Work 2022. Vedanta Limited is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange.

For more information, please visit www.vedantalimited.com

About Vedanta Aluminium Business:

Vedanta Aluminium, a business of Vedanta Limited, is India’s largest producer of aluminium, manufacturing more than half of India’s aluminium i.e., 2.29 million tonnes in FY23. It is a leader in value-added aluminium products that find critical applications in core industries. Vedanta Aluminium ranks 1st in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2023 world rankings for the aluminium industry, a reflection of its leading 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.

For more information, please log on to www.vedantaaluminium.com

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