Business Today reported that public sector firm Steel Authority of India Limited has piled up a INR 5000 crore war chest to keep pollution levels in check as it implements ambitious expansion plans to enhance the country's steel making capacity.

Out of the total outlay of about INR 72,000 crore for the on going modernization and expansion program about INR 5,000 crore is being spent on pollution control schemes. SAIL has been continuing its environment management efforts in line with the vision of the organization in this important area.

Mr CS Verma chairman of SAIL said that "The current modernization and expansion plans of the company will not only increase the production capacity of steel, but also usher in environment friendly state of the art technologies and new product lines."

Mr Verma said that "SAIL goes beyond merely ensuring that regulatory requirements are duly adhered to, by initiating measures proactively to give back to nature what has been taken from it. The protection and preservation of the environment and its ecosystem are an established priority covering all areas of SAIL operations.”

SAIL has put in continuous efforts to improve the environmental performance of its assets. This has resulted in reduction of particulate matter emission, specific effluent load and specific effluent discharge. The company has been emphasizing on the importance of solid waste utilization at the integrated steel plants. Due to sustained efforts, specific water consumption and specific CO2 emission have also reduced significantly. There has also been a reduction of around 22% in specific energy consumption in SAIL plants.