Sandvik Coromant inaugurates fourth wastewater plant in India

To celebrate “World Water Day” on March 22, 2023, metal cutting specialist Sandvik Coromant India inaugurated its wastewater treatment plant at the Talawade Garden in Pune, Maharashtra, India. The inauguration, which took place on March 23, 2023, is the fourth wastewater sustainability project that Sandvik Coromant has facilitated in collaboration with Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC).

Untreated sewage waste is a major cause of surface water and groundwater pollution in India. In particular, Pimpri-Chinchwad is one of the most developed and industrial cities in Maharashtra, and as a result, produces a large volume of wastewater that runs through its drainage system.

To combat this, Sandvik Coromant has been working with Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation to install wastewater treatment plants across the region that treat flowing wastewater, promoting the recycling and reusing of water. The latest wastewater plant at Talawade Garden, which was installed in January 2023, recycles 5,000 litres of water per day. This is the fourth plant that Sandvik Coromant have collaborated on, with the other three located at Premlok garden, Babuji Golande Garden and Oxygen Garden.

At the ceremony, officials from PCMC attended, including Mr. Jitendra Wagh, Additional Commissioner, and Mr. Sanjay Kulkarni, Joint City Engineer along with other PCMC officials and members from Sandvik Coromant including Mr. Kiran Acharya, Managing Director and Chief Financial Officer, Mr. Vignesh Iyer, Deputy Manager Finance & CSR, Roshni Acharya, CSR Specialist and other global delegates of Sandvik Coromant, and spoke to the public about the initiative to create awareness about wastewater and the possible alternatives.

“Water is a scarce resource and Sandvik Coromant takes our responsibility as a local manufacturer very seriously, and this initiative of the wastewater treatment across the 4 gardens would help to treat 9.1 million litres of waste water which can be used for gardening and the utilization of fresh water can be optimized. Taking action towards sustainable development goals (SDGs) is a priority for Sandvik Coromant India, and these wastewater plants are just one of multiple sustainability projects that we’ve initiated in India. The need to treat wastewater efficiently is becoming more prominent and we’re setting an example of how this can be done. We have pioneered and launched the initiative of recycling wastewater to maintain the gardens with wastewater plants”, said Mr. Kiran Acharya.

Mr. Jitendra Wagh, Additional Commissioner PCMC added that “The collaboration between PCMC and Sandvik Coromant, shows the efforts and the results that this wastewater initiative at the Talawade garden will also help the local community. The wastewater is treated at the source, and the fresh water is now being used in the garden and can be put to a fruitful use for the community.”

As a result of its efforts to save water, Sandvik Coromant India also received the ‘Best urban wastewater management award’ at the Global CSR Excellence & Leadership Awards in 2022.

“Honouring World Water Day with the ceremony was a prominent way to demonstrate why wastewater treatment plants are so crucial to the messaging of not just what clean, safe water means not just in India, but globally,” continued Mr Kiran Acharya. “This initiative reflects the continuity and the sustainability potential that Sandvik Coromant looks for in a project. It also supports our constant endeavour to give back to society. While India is already performing highly in its actions against climate protection, Sandvik Coromant is paving the way for major sustainability transformation.”