Tata Steels Khondbond Mine Wins Pollution Control Excellence Award ~13,866 saplings planted in FY21

Joda: The Khondbond Iron and Manganese Mine of Tata Steel, located in Joda, Keonjhar district of Odisha, has won prestigious Pollution Control Excellence Award-2022 under ‘Mines’ category. The award by Odisha State Pollution Control Board (OSPCB) was handed over by Shri Pradip Kumar Amat, Honble Minister of Forest & Environment, Panchayati Raj & Drinking Water, Information & Public Relations, Government of Odisha on the occasion of OSPCBs 39th Foundation Day Ceremony in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

Subhransu Sekhar Mishra, Head, Mining Operations, Khondbond, Tata Steel received the award on behalf of the company. Susanta Nanda, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Forest & Environment, Government of Odisha and K Murugesan, Member Secretary, OSPCB were among other dignitaries present on the occasion.

The unit was awarded for its commendable initiative in constructing three new rainwater harvesting ponds and reclamation of mined out areas and plantation on slopes of dump yards to stabilize dumps and increase green cover inside mines. It may be mentioned that the unit has planted 13,866 number of saplings in the financial year 2020-21.

Besides, the unit was highly appreciated for utilization of waste as fuel (kitchen waste converted to biogas) with reduced consumption of three LPG cylinders per annum and carbon emission by 0.171 Ton CO2/Annum.
Besides drain channel has been constructed for management of runoff flow of water.

The Member Secretary, OSPCB defined the award as a distinctive way of acknowledging the efforts of industries and the recipients demonstrated exemplary leadership in holistically advancing sustainability goals to protect the environment and ecosystem.