Union Minister Ananth Kumar lays foundation stone for RCF-BPCL Sewage Treatment Plant in Mumbai

Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers  Ananth Kumar along with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today laid the foundation stone for construction of the RCF-BPCL Sewage Treatment Plant in Mumbai.  An initiative under the Prime Minister’s ‘Swachch Bharat’ campaign, the new sewage treatment plant coming up at the Rashtriya Chemicals & Fertilizers Ltd’s Chembur complex will have a capacity to treat 22.75 million litres/day municipal sewage water.   Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ananth Kumar said the RCF initiative is a sustainability development initiative aimed at saving water and preserving nature.  He said the RCF is moving in the right direction as a responsible corporation by adopting green technologies. The Minister also said that efforts are being made for granting Navratna status for the Rashtriya Fertilizers & Chemicals Ltd.  Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis assured full cooperation of the state government in the pro-farmer welfare activities undertaken by RCF.

The RCF-BPCL Sewage Treatment Plant is being jointly built by the RCF and Bharat Petroleum, the two PSUs whose plants are located on adjacent plots at Chembur-Mahul in Mumbai. The Rs 200 crore project when ready, will generate 15 million litres/day of treated water, which shall be used by RCF and BPCL in their plants.  This will reduce fresh water intake from Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to that extent, which in turn will benefit about 1 lakh families in Mumbai.  The project will be operational within 28 months from the award of the contract.

Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers Ananth Kumar today drew attention of the industry leaders to the need for adopting pro-active approach towards corrosion control in manufacturing activities.  Addressing the plenary session of the CORCON 2014 : International Conference and Exposition in Mumbai on Friday, Mr. Ananth Kumar said the government as well as the industry should change the mindset and move with enthusiasm to adopt corrosion control and management technique, without considering it as a repair and maintenance issue.  The Minister informed that according to a recent report of the World Corrosion Organization, the annual corrosion cost is approximately US $ 2.5 trillions or 3-4% of the global GDP.  In India alone, the loss on account of corrosion is estimated at around $ 67 billion ( over Rs 4 lakh crores), the minister added.  He said, in the fertilizer industry too, corrosion is a major concern due to corrosive nature of raw materials.  Mr. Ananth Kumar said controlling corrosion requires significant expenditure, but it is more rewarding in the long run in terms of increased plant safety, better performance and enhanced asset life.

Mr. Ananth Kumar said the Prime Minister has laid great emphasis on ‘Make In India’ with zero defect and zero effect on environment. “In this regard, corrosion management will facilitate the manufacturing sector to enhance its competitive edge in the global market “ he added. He said, corrosion control should become an integral part of ‘good manufacturing practice’.  The Minister also laid stress on increased Research & Development in inventing environmentally sustainable corrosion control techniques.

CORCON 2014  is a four day  international conference that brings together experts and manufacturers facilitating ideas exchange. It also showcases  products like corrosion preventing products and services, measures, metals of least corrosion acceptance etc.

 PIB Mum| ST (MD)