Water -Over Four times Water Positive

Since its inception the Company has shown great commitment towards water management. We value water immensely, as it is a scarce natural resource. We not only continue to reduce the water footprint of our operations, but also promote responsible water management in partnership with various government and other local stakeholders. This is done for the benefit of the community. We track water withdrawal, consumption, reuse/ recycling and discharge. We also endeavour to save water by constructing water harvesting structures and employing water-efficient techniques. The Company defines ‘Water Balance Index’ as the ratio of water credit over water debit at each site. ‘Water debit’ denotes the total volume of water consumed; and ‘water credit’ is the summation of the volume of recycled/ reused water, harvested rain water, recharged ground water, water saved through better agro-practices/ techniques (drip, sprinkler, systematic rice intensification), and value-added services. If, the water balance index is greater than one, it indicates a positive water balance. A combination of various water harvesting programmes and revolutionary techniques were employed. Through rainwater harvesting, large quantities of water were collected that would have otherwise gone unused. Even used quarries were given a new life by converting them into manmade lakes and wetlands. Steadily, the results

grew with each year. Today Ambuja is possibly the first cement company in the world to be assured ‘water positive’. The Company was assured as ‘two times water positive’ in 2011, and the team increased its efforts to ensure that we remained water positive in 2014 as well. The Company made a significant achievement with a 4.03 times water positive assurance in 2014. Our ambition now is to become five times water positive by 2017. It is a difficult task, but every drop added is a victory for our team, and the planet. A third party was specially commissioned by the Company to carry out a limited assurance of its water accounting data covering the period 1 January to 31 December, 2014. The data considered included the water balance index for the facilities, water debit, and water credit. The results of the exercise showed that the Company was 4.03 times water positive in 2014 whereas the target for the year was a water positive index of 3.0. Our total credit for 2014 was about 31,192,523 m3. The amount of water credit we put back to the planet by promoting water savings and harvesting more than doubled in 2014 compared to 2011. In 2014, our Customer Support Group saved 5,175 m3 of curing water through cement users. Water saving through systematic rice intensification in eastern India benefits farmers. Our team has built over 170 check-dams and small barriers across the country, to avoid water runoff from streams and rivers. Ambuja has been committed to conserve and use water resources in a responsible manner for long term water sustainability. Monthly water management reports (WMRs) are generated by all our plants to track water withdrawal, consumption, discharge and water harvesting practices. Water and environment champions from our plants discussed various aspects of water management at a water workshop in March 2014. Overall, as compared to 2012, our total water withdrawal volume reduced by about seven per cent in 2014. There was a 15% reduction in withdrawal of ground water. There was no increase in water purchase from municipal supply and third parties. However, water withdrawal from surface water sources in 2014 increased by 28% as compared to 2012.