Mumbai : STL a leading optical and digital solutions company, on the occasion of World Water Day, announced that it has replenished 1.4 billion litres (1.4 million m3 ) of water in 12 villages of Aurangabad, in the state of Maharashtra, India. The company has designed a water resilience program in partnership with the Village Social Transformation Foundation (VSTF) to improve water and sanitation management in the region. Aurangabad is a water-stressed region. Women have to walk long distances to fetch water. In summer, reserves dry up quickly reducing water availability. This leads to the need for buying water to meet daily requirements. Village residents spend ~Rs 50-100 per barrel that can store only upto 200 litres of water. This burdens them with added expenses for agriculture and daily activities.
STL, which runs its flagship glass and optical fibre and cable facilities from Aurangabad, makes extensive efforts around water conservation and replenishment, both in its manufacturing facilities and in rural communities. In Aurangabad, the company harvested over 9 million litres of rainwater last year and installed sensor-based sewage treatment, automated dosing systems, and dashboards to recycle wastewater for horticulture. 6 out of 11 STL’s global plants are Zero Liquid discharge certified. Its water management programs are promoting collective action for addressing water scarcity in the region. This involves forming women-led Self-help groups (SHGs), Farmer Producer Groups, and Water User Groups to augment their representation in local governance plans for village water, sanitation, health, and nutrition committees.
