INDIACSR News Network
JAMSHEDPUR: In the mining belt of West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand, Tata Steel’s Noamundi Iron Mine reached yet another landmark of conserving rain water, otherwise wasted by, constructing the third consecutive Rain Water Harvesting Project (RWHP) in the sprawling green cover zone of Sir Dorabji Tata Botanical Park, Noamundi.
Smt Surekha Hemant Nerurkar inaugurated this project on 27th July 2012 in presence of Mr DB Sundara Ramam, General Manager (OMQ), Tata Steel, Smt Mousumi Sengupta, Mrs Srimanti Sen, Mrs Momita Misra, Mrs D Shailja, President, “Prerna”, the women’s organization at Noamundi and others.
Earlier Mr Hemant M Nerurakar, Managing Director, Tata Steel had inaugurated Aqua Park Rain Water Harvesting Project in 2011 and Mr Cyrus P Mistry, Chairman Designate, Tata Sons inaugurating the second Rain Water Harvesting Project at Central Camp, Noamundi on March 4, 2012.
It is estimated that on an average annually around 75000 cubic meter of rain water percolates in Sir Dorabji Tata Botanical Park from different high altitude sections around the park. This massive quantity of water usually gets wasted in absence of proper storage. Now this rain water project would enable in charging the entire rain water to the ground water table in different ways.
Out of the total estimated rain water accumulation of 75,000 cubic meter at Sir Dorabji Tata Park round the year, around 69000 cubic meter of rainwater will be charged into 11 charging points, each 80 meter deep, constructed in this park. Besides this in a small artificial pond at the site, having 2100 square meter surface area and 3 meter deep, roughly 6300 cubic meter rainwater will be accumulated for maintenance and watering of plants in Sir Dorabji Tata Botanical Park.
With technical know-how from Chennai based country’s leading rain water harvesting consultant KRG Rainwater Foundation, the project cost for this rain water harvesting project is Rs 33 lakh. The site of this project has been beautifully decorated with arches, models made by local artisans, artificial waterfalls, pathways and decorative lights. Sir Dorabji Tata Botanical Park is spread over an area of 45 acres where once mining has been done and thereafter restoration has been done by creating a green oasis.
This park has one of the richest collection of herbs, succulents, plants, cactus, butterflies, Spices and condiments, Green House, Bonsai Park, Amazon Rain Forest trees etc. The Cactus House at the park is having 242 varieties of cactus, while local breed of butterflies are reared here in the Butterfly Park.
Rain Water Harvesting in the mining zone is a new way of water conservation initiated by Tata Steel. In the mining lease area of Tata Steel it has been found in a study that in a year on an average around 100 days of rainfall of 1000 mm annually yields 58,00,000 cubic meter of rain water. Through these rain water harvesting projects at Noamundi, Tata Steel is aiming to charge this huge quantity of rain water to the ground water table which is expected to raise the ground water level at Noamundi and in its peripheral areas also.
Towards conservation of other sources of energy at Noamundi, solar lights and geysers have been installed within the township and operational area of the mines as well as in villages. More than 130 solar lights has already been installed in different villages till date and 200 more lights are on the process of installation in villages besides 50 such lights within the Noamundi town and solar geyser in guest house.
