Secretary of Ministry of Water Resource – Govt. of India Mr. Dhruv Vijay Singh & Gen V P Malik (retd) launched the state of the Art "Water for Future", an advanced engineering intervention for Water conservation
The initiative will help improve water usage efficiency by over 30%
This advanced engineering intervention has been installed at the cost of over Rs 20 crores
Goblej, Dist. Kheda (Gujarat), January 11th, 2013: Government of India's Water Resource Secretary Mr. Dhruv Vijay Singh and Former Chief of Indian Army Gen V P Malik, today, launched the "Water for Future", an advanced engineering intervention for Water conservation in the presence of Mr. A. N. Mistry, Chief Engineer & Additional Secretary, Water & Irrigation Department, Gujarat Government. "Water For Future" is a special initiative by The Coca-Cola Company to conserve water through internal recycle and reuse process. This activity so far has been piloted in Mexico and India,and will help save about 30% of fresh water additionally.
In India, Water For Future has been piloted at The Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited (HCCBPL), Goblej Village, Kheda District, Gujarat. It is the first project in India. This plant has 06 lines, which produces juice drinks, sparkling beverages and packaged drinking water. The company has invested over Rs. 500 crores in the state-of-the art bottling plant till date. As this bottling plant is a zero discharge plant, this intervention will further help in recycling and re-using process waste water and reducing treated effluent discharge considerably.
The HCCB Goblej plant has already undertaken several water conservation projects and technologies under the 3R – Reduce, Recycle and Replenish strategy. To further improve its water use strategy, this facility took on the 'Water for Future' initiative, which is a Water Recovery and Reuse System. This intervention uses an innovative technology to provide water for reuse in processes such as clean-in-place and bottle washing activities. The water is not used in beverages. The result is high-quality water that meets and/or exceeds even the most stringent drinking water standards.
Speaking at the launch, Gen. V P Malik, Former Chief of Indian Army & Chairman of Advisory Council for Environment and Sustainability at Coca-Cola India, said"We all are aware that water today is an increasingly scarce commodity and it is important for every sector to play its role. It is important for industries to continuously look for ways to better manage natural resources. HCCBPL's 'Water for Future' is a unique initiative, as it not only helps reuse of water but also helps in reducing treated effluent discharge considerably." Speaking on the occasion, Mr T Krishnakumar, CEO of Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd., said, "Water is a precious resource. Our endeavor is to continuously improve processes to reduce water consumption in manufacturing. Water For Future is a strategic step in this direction. Goblej plant along with a plant in Mexico, were chosen to implement this new technology. The results have been very encouraging and this initiative has already been recognized at international forums. We will continue to work rigorously on our reuse, recycle and replenish strategy to ensure optimal utilization of water"
At the event, several experts shared their thoughts and ideas on how can industry play a role in working on optimizing water usage. Prominent amongst them were Prof Tushar Shah, International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Prof ShaswatBandopadhyay, Center for Environmental Planning and Technology (CEPT) and Prof (retd)SubhashChander from IIT Delhi.
The innovative technology behind Water For Future has received global recognition and awarded in various forms. After winning the 'Innovation in Small Projects Award' by the International Water Association at its Asia Pacific Regional Innovation Awards, the initiative was awarded as the grand winner at the IWA Global Awards ceremony in Busan, Korea. Additionally, the project received an award of merit by the Water Reuse Association and the project has been accepted as a case study & published as a part of U.S. EPA 2012 Guidelines for Water Reuse. Coca-Cola received another global recognition at The Inter Bev 2012 and announced project Water for the future- Innovative Beverage Process Water Recovery System as best environmental sustainability initiative Winner.
About HCCBPL
Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Pvt. Ltd., is the largest bottling partner of The Coca-Cola Company in India. It is part of The Coca-Cola Company's Bottling Investment Group (BiG) and responsible for the manufacture, package, sale and distribution of beverages under the trademarks of The Coca-Cola Company.
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