June 20th 2024.
Tata Steel and the Odisha government have joined hands to launch a sustainable agricultural initiative in the state, with the aim of reclaiming acidic soils. This collaboration seeks to make use of industrial waste, specifically basic oxygen furnace slag and fly ash, as soil amendments to improve the quality of the soil. Recently, the first batch of LD slag was dispatched from the Tata Steel Meramandali plant in Dhenkanal district on June 18, marking the beginning of this project.
Known as the "Economic and Environment-Friendly Utilisation of Basic Slag and Fly Ash as Soil Amendments to Reclaim Acid Soils of Odisha," this initiative is being led by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research - National Rice Research Institute in Cuttack, Odisha. It is also a part of the Odisha government's "Waste to Wealth" program, which promotes a circular economy. Rajiv Mangal, the vice president of Safety, Health, and Sustainability at Tata Steel, expressed his delight in partnering with the government and ICAR-NRRI for this significant project. He believes that by utilizing their industrial by-products, they can contribute towards the improvement of the soil's quality and support sustainable agriculture in the state.
Ramesh Kumar Ekka, the Senior Environmental Engineer and Regional Officer of the State Pollution Control Board, Angul, commended Tata Steel's efforts in collaborating with the government and ICAR-NRRI in addressing the challenge of utilizing bulk generated industrial solid waste like fly ash and LD slag. He also highlighted the importance of this project in reclaiming acidic soils in the districts of Dhenkanal, Angul, and Jajpur.
Under this project, Tata Steel will be responsible for supplying the necessary amounts of LD slag and fly ash from its integrated iron and steel plants to be used as soil amendments in targeted districts of Odisha. These amendments will be produced and distributed in two phases - before the Kharif crop season and before the Rabi crop season. This timeline ensures that the amendments are readily available to farmers during the critical planting periods.
Moreover, the project has received approval from the State Pollution Control Board, Odisha, in compliance with the Fly Ash Notification and Central Pollution Control Board guidelines on the management of Pyro-Metallurgical Slag. This collaboration between Tata Steel and the Odisha government is a significant step towards sustainable agriculture and promoting a circular economy in the state.
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