Aditya Birla Group’s Hindalco Industries Limited, one of the country's leading metals majors, has taken significant steps to prevent incidents like the one in April 2019 at its Muri plant where there was spillage of industrial by-product bauxite residue from its storage area.
The company has also ensured that land, water and people remain safe and unaffected. Immediately after the incident, a massive task was undertaken on a war footing to assess the overall impact of the same on land, water and people, put back the spilled residue within the boundary of the storage area by using hundreds of earth-moving machinery, and completing this well before the onset of monsoon. The firm also ensured complete routing of catchment and storm water to the river bypassing the Bauxite Residue Storage area and treatment of the soil in the land area where the spillage had occurred.
Hindalco ensured that there was no trace of Bauxite Residue wash-off in monsoon to the river and no patch of land was rendered unsuitable for farming.
The firm has collaborated with various expert agencies including Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Birsa Agricultural University, Ranchi and Central Institute of Mining and Fuel Research, Dhanbad and SGS Jamshedpur, and its initiatives have been validated by authorities from time-to-time.
Door-to-door medical check-ups and medical camps were organized for employees and villagers in the vicinity of the Bauxite Residue Storage area which confirmed that there was no injury or related ill-effects to employees, labourers or villagers during or after the incident. In the final report submitted by the Commissioner of South East Chhotanagpur Division who was leading the investigation, it was clear that there was no indication of loss of life or property due to the incident.
In a significant development which is unprecedented anywhere in the world, Hindalco has established Bauxite Residue as a raw material for cement manufacturing in collaboration with cement industries across the country.
Muri Plant has successfully despatched about 1.5 lakh tonnes of Bauxite Residue to various cement companies in the current financial year, where it is being used as a replacement for mined material like laterite or lithomarge. This is paving way for complete utilization of the residue in coming years and is promoting a circular economy.
Even during the period when the factory was not operating due to the Covid pandemic, more than one lakh tonnes of Bauxite Residue was sent to cement units thereby reducing significantantly the height of the storage area on the eastern part adjacent to the Subarnarekha river.
During the ongoing war against Covid-19 Hindalco covered 31,000 families of 86 adjoining villages for relief easures.