Udaipur, March 22, 2025 – On the occasion of World Water Day, Hindustan Zinc Limited (HZL), India’s largest and the world’s second-largest integrated zinc producer, announced the recycling of more than 1,800 crore litres of water in the financial year 2024. This amount is equivalent to the annual water consumption of approximately 1,00,000 households in Rajasthan.

Operating in Rajasthan, which is one of India’s most water-stressed regions, HZL remains committed to sustainable water management. The company has reinforced its position as a 2.41x water-positive and Zero Liquid Discharge (ZLD) company. It follows a ZLD pproach, ensuring that process water and waste are treated, recycled, and reused, significantly reducing dependency on fresh water while eliminating liquid discharge.

As one of the world’s most sustainable metal and mining companies, HZL integrates both operational and community-led water management initiatives into its water conservation strategy.

Ahead of World Water Day, the company unveiled several key water management initiatives across various districts of Rajasthan. Additionally, in the coming week, HZL plans to inaugurate a 4,000 KLD (kilolitres per day) ZLD plant at the Rampura Agucha Mine, the world's largest underground zinc mining operation. This new facility, along with existing ZLD plants at Zinc Smelter Debari, Dariba Smelting Complex, Chanderia Lead-Zinc Smelter and Zawar Mines, strengthens the company’s vision for responsible water management.

Commitment to Water Sustainability

On World Water Day, Priya Agarwal Hebbar, chairperson of HZL, said: "At Hindustan Zinc, we believe that water is the foundation of a sustainable future. Our water management strategy goes beyond operational efficiency to ensure long-term water security for both communities and industries. As a 2.41x water-positive company, we actively enhance and strengthen water resources. By integrating sustainable water management into our core strategy, we balance industrial growth with environmental responsibility, driving sustainable development forward."

Community Water Initiatives

Alongside its operational commitments, HZL is actively engaged in groundwater recharge and improving rural water accessibility through large-scale community water initiatives.

• In Agucha, Bhilwara district, the company has launched a pond restoration project in Agucha Panchayat, which will help revive biodiversity, increase water availability and positively impact around 25,000 people.
• In Rajsamand district, HZL has undertaken pond-deepening projects in four villages, increasing their collective water capacity by 55,000 cubic metres (or 550 lakh litres), benefiting more than 10,000 people. The initiative will expand to two more ponds in the next financial year.
• In Chanderia, HZL has introduced a lift irrigation scheme, benefiting more than 100 farmers by supporting cash crop cultivation across 50 acres and ensuring efficient water use for sustainable agriculture.

Pioneering Public-Private Partnerships for Water Conservation

As a leader in sustainable water management, HZL has established Udaipur’s first Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model. This initiative, a first of its kind in Rajasthan, treats 600 million litres of waste water daily, playing a crucial role in keeping Udaipur’s lakes free from pollution while supplying treated water for HZL’s operations through an advanced pipeline network. This has significantly reduced the consumption of fresh water.

Expanding Water Access and Women Empowerment

Expanding its community water initiatives, HZL has launched a large-scale artificial groundwater recharge project across four blocks in Bhilwara district. This includes desilting ponds, strengthening embankments, and constructing 358 recharge shafts across 84 ponds, creating a groundwater recharge capacity of 87 million cubic meters (or 8,700 million liters)—a significant achievement in Rajasthan’s arid landscape.

HZL is also working on providing safe drinking water across Rajasthan. Through Water RO (Reverse Osmosis) plants and water ATMs, the company has ensured safe drinking water supply of nearly 4 million litres to communities.

In Rajsamand, HZL has launched a first-of-its-kind "Jal Sakhi" initiative, combining women empowerment, entrepreneurship and clean water accessibility. Through this women-led enterprise, the initiative operates water ATMs, providing clean drinking water to nearly 50,000 people.

Additionally, in FY 2024, HZL supplied more than 150 million litres of water to more than 20 water-scarce villages in Rajasthan through tankers. According to community members, access to potable water has significantly reduced waterborne diseases in these areas.

Global Leader in Sustainable Mining

A subsidiary of Vedanta Group, HZL has been recognised as the world’s most sustainable company in the Metals & Mining category for the second consecutive year by S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2024. The company has also launched EcoGen, Asia’s first low-carbon green zinc, produced using renewable energy, with a carbon footprint nearly 75% lower than the global average.