The Business Bytes
TBB BUREAU
JHARSUGUDA, MAY 5, 2023
Keeping in view the rising mercury level, Vedanta Aluminium, India’s largest producer of aluminium, has resumed its annual ‘Jal Seva Shibir’ initiative to help local public beat the summer heat. Water kiosks have been set up at Bhurkamunda village, Sarbahal Chowk, Prasanna Panda Chowk, Badheimunda Chowk, Jharsuguda Railway Station and Bus Stand, to provide free drinking water, ORS, lemon water and buttermilk to commuters. The kiosks attend to about 8,000 people daily.
The Jharsuguda Unit of Vedanta Aluminium has also deployed water tankers to provide drinking water to communities in 17 locations across 11 wards of Jharsuguda who are facing acute water shortage currently. This is helping nearly 25,000 people access clean drinking water daily. Earlier in the year, the company undertook its annual endeavour of cleaning and deepening ponds and other local water bodies, preparing them to harvest water during rains to ensure post-monsoon water availability in villages. Besides, the company has created several water infrastructures like ponds, tube wells, dug wells, percolation tanks, etc. in its peripheral villages, to ensure water availability round the year. This apart, the company is also working to retain the green cover in the region, by ensuring regular watering of the saplings planted along the State Highway which will eventually provide shade to travelers during summer.
Dedicating water kiosks to the public, Vedanta Ltd. Jharsuguda CEO Sunil Gupta said, “The well-being of our communities is of utmost importance to us, and our developmental initiatives in the region are aimed at improving their quality of life. It is heartening to see our Jal Seva Shibir helping thousands of citizens in Jharsuguda during these extreme weather conditions.”
“Water is a critical shared resource between us, our communities and the ecology. We are committed to creating a sustainable water footprint in Jharsuguda, through efficient water management and by working with local communities to make them climate resilient,” he added.
Lauding the Vedanta’s efforts towards making available drinking water to public, Jharsuguda Municipality Executive Officer Manoj Kumar Tandi said, “Vedanta Aluminium has time and again supported the Jharsuguda District Administration in providing clean drinking water to people living in the water-stressed regions of Jharsuguda. I commend the company for partnering with us every year for this initiative and helping us alleviate summer-related woes of the residents.”
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 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.
