Ambuja Cement Technical Services Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting initiative’s reach expands

MUMBAI: Ambuja Cements Ltd, a part of the global conglomerate LafargeHolcim and a leading cement manufacturer in India, has been spearheading the efforts in the country to conserve water in line with its commitment to Sustainability. As a result, the company’s Technical Services team initiated Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting (RRWH) solution has become a preferred choice among the customers with nearly 500 structures already being built across the country.

The objective of RRWH, which was introduced in 2016, is to encourage customers conserve water for consumption through its consultancy and installation rainwater harvesting service – an extension of Ambuja Cement’s Technical Services. The installation will ultimately enable increased accessibility of water, particularly in areas facing serious water shortage. In addition, it will raise the water table and improve the quality of groundwater.

Technical Services team is enabling conservation of over 60 million litres of water per annum through successful implementation of this initiative in Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh among others. Apart from this, Ambuja Cement’s CSR arm Ambuja Cement Foundation (ACF) too educates families on the benefits of rainwater harvesting and when families invest in this, ACF provides subsidies wherever possible. Owing to such efforts, Ambuja Cement has achieved 5.5 times Water Positive status – the highest in the industry.

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Speaking on this unique RRWH solution, Ambuja Cement’s Chief Marketing Officer Deepak Mehra said, “Since inception, Ambuja Cement as a responsible corporate has been at the forefront in encouraging and implementing policies in the industry that reduce the usage of natural resources in business operations. In this direction, the company continues to develop innovative solutions that deliver maximised value to customers while adhering to the principles of Sustainability. This RRWH solution which helps effectively conserve water is part of a wide portfolio of sustainable construction products and services the company offers.”

Such initiative assumes even more significance at a time when the central government’s think tank National Institution for Transforming India widely known as NITI Aayog observing that nearly 600 million people in the country will face high to extreme water stress and 21 cities will run out of the groundwater by 2020. Realising the gravity of the issue, the government has been promoting adoption of rainwater harvesting systems to augment groundwater capacity through various schemes and initiatives.

“As per various reports, the country’s water demand is projected to be twice the available supply by 2030, implying severe water scarcity for hundreds of millions of people. Hence, to meet the future requirements, an apt solution such as ‘Rooftop Rainwater Harvesting’ needs to be leveraged across regions,” concluded Mehra.

This initiative has been developed through multiple reference codes, manuals and research reports. The rainwater is first collected through channel pipes made up of PVC or similar materials. A water filter is installed to remove all impurities present in the water, which is then stored in a tank that can be used for multiple purposes including drinking and cooking. The surplus water from the tank is discharged into a pit for groundwater recharge. The system can be installed once the roof of the house or building is completed. A meagre 100 cm rainfall annually on a 1,000 square feet roof can provide a full year’s supply of water to a family of five people.

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