Cement, Energy and Environment July-Sep 2002

water from machines/mil ls is collected at the tina\ outlet and used inside the factory at material transfer points, or for watering trees in the plantations, or for dust suppression on kutcha roads. The waste water generated in the colony is treated in the sewage water treatment plant situated in the colony. mines is pumped out and dive11ed to a drain which fl ows along the fields in neighbouring village. This water is being utilised for irrigation by the villagers. Aspin-off from thi s diversion of the water is a rise in the water tab le as ev id enced in the adjoini ng wells. roof-surface a rea, under consultation of a hydro-geologist. The harvested water recharges dug– up wells duri ng rains. Green Belt Development Rain water harvesting - Rain water collected in the exploited Roof-top rain- water harvest ing has been started, to begin with, in select buildi ngs havi.ng large The management has spared no pains in develop ing greenery around the plants. mines and in the colony. Till March 2002, a total of I ,23 ,760 trees have been planted over an area of 78.2 1 hectares. ASSOCCHAM Lauds CMA's role in promoting Energy efficiency CMA made a presentation in the 0 '1en House 'Commercialisati on of Energy Efficient Technologies' organised by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry oflndia (ASSOCHAM) in New Delhi on 5 September 2002. The presentation as well as the points made by Dr. Ghosh, Adviser (Technical), in the Panel Discussion that followed have been acknowledged by ASSOCHAM as 'very informative and significantly added value to the deliberations ofthe programme'. The Open House appreciated the remarkable energy conservation performance oflndian cement industry over the last decade and called for low-cost funds for further conservation through advanced techno logies in comminution and pyroprocessing, and newer technologies like waste heat based cogeneration of power. With the coming into effect of the Energy Conservation Act, 2001 from Apri l2002, there has been a t1uny of seminars and workshops on energy efficient teclmologies. Undoubtedly, adoption and replication of such technologies in industry depend on thei r successful commercialisation. However, more than peripheral improvement in energy conservation in auxi liary services for mosl industries, eg. in boiiers, pump houses, compressors and fans, whi ch are low-fund intensive soft options, what is critically needed are breakthrough technologies for achieving substantial energy economies. But accessing such technologies requires large investments for which the industry seems not prepared at the moment, given the current phase of recession. Yet, considering the priority ofenergy conservation in the national economy and the recurring returns it will bring, soft loans and the li ke for accessing front-runner technologies seem to be the crying need of the day. • ...