Bhubaneswar, August 2: Tata Steel Mining Limited (TSML) has partnered with New Delhi based The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) to conduct water audits at five of its operational facilities in Odisha to ensure more efficient use of water and its conservation.
TERI is a research institute which has specialization in the fields of energy, environment and sustainable development
The initiative focuses on several facets, including comprehensive water audits involving water use and water balance, water quality profiling, identification of water losses and leakages.
The study aims to identify recommendations for efficient water management at these facilities concerning water reuse, recycling and conservation, as well as a reduction in specific water consumption.
This will enable TSML to develop an integrated industrial water management strategy that optimises efficient use of water and improves water productivity at its units.
TSML has also partnered with FluxGen Engineering Technologies, a Karnataka based Company working on water solution, to install AquaGen mechanism to reduce water consumption.
To begin with, the Company is deploying AquaGen, a SaaS (Software as a service) platform which will give a secure single window access system to digital data of the entire water infrastructure on parameters such as water flow, water level, and borewell water level.
It would be deployed at its Sukinda Chromite Mine in Jajpur and Ferro Alloy Plant at Athagarh in Cuttack, district of Odisha, covering the complete value chain of ferrochrome making.
TSML has developed a 108 million liters per day capacity onsite Central Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) at Sukinda Chromite Mine (SCM).
The central ETP effectively treats 100 percent of the generated effluent and allows the Company to reclaim up to 95 -90 percent of recycled water.
SCM township has a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) that treats domestic waste water into treated water, which is reused for gardening, washing of machineries and vehicles – resulting in zero liquid discharge.
TSML is also working to install another central ETP of 1200 cubic metre per hour capacity for its Saruabil and Kamarda chromite mines in Sukinda.
TSML’s both the ferroalloy plants at Gopalpur in Ganjam district and at Athagarh in Cuttack district have onsite effluent treatment plants that treat onsite process water. For its Athagarh plant it has already reduced its water intake by 0.50 cusecs.
The Company has constructed garland drains around its plant boundaries and a settling pit to channelise waste water from jigging and hot metal cake quenching operations as well as surface run-off to the ETP.
The 100 percent recycled water is reused on-site in metal cooling and jigging for sprinkling water on the road and gardening. Both production plants have a sewage treatment plant that treats domestic wastewater. Treated water is reused for gardening purposes, making both the facilities zero liquid-discharge.
