Water Storage Breach At Vedanta Alumina Unit In Odisha Impacts Farm Land

A process water storage facility at a Vedanta Aluminium unit in Odisha breached on Sunday, impacting agricultural land in the region. Process water is broadly defined as water used in industry, manufacturing, power generation and similar applications.

There was no damage to the red mud storage facility, Vedanta Aluminium said in a statement.

Red mud is the waste generated in the production of alumina from bauxite, whose alkaline nature may pose risk of contamination due to seepage or overflow, according to the Central Pollution Control Board's (CPCB) guidelines for handling and management of red mud generated from alumina plants.

Visuals of the industrial incident show the process water flowing downstream to a rocky pond-like area. A large volume of muddy water was also seen flowing into open areas. The water covered the ground where some trees stood, and ran over other forms of vegetation.

The process water overflowed due to unprecedented rain in the area, Vedanta Aluminium said. There were no injuries or loss of livestock due to the flooding caused by the breach, it said, adding it has started "immediate containment and mitigation measures".

"There is no disruption in our current operations and the refinery continues to operate in compliance with regulatory requirements. Additionally, there is no damage to our red mud storage facility," Vedanta Aluminium said.