New Delhi, March 22 (IANS): On the occasion of World Water Day, Nestle India on Wednesday said it has reduced its water consumption by 53 per cent and waste water discharge by 55 per cent for every tonne of production during the last 15 years as a commitment towards responsible water stewardship.

"Committed to responsible water stewardship, Nestle India is continuously working on conservation and optimal utilisation of water. Our various initiatives include efforts to reduce, re-use and re-cycle water, across the value chain and with communities, for a sustainable tomorrow," the company said in a statement.

According to the company, the initiatives have been accompanied by efforts to spread awareness about sustainable usage of water as well as providing clean and safe drinking water.

"We work closely with communities to create awareness on water conservation and preservation and at the same time use technology to reduce water usage in our manufacturing locations. We are also working in schools around our factories to provide clean drinking water to thousands of students," said Sanjay Khajuria, Senior Vice President Corporate Affairs, Nestle India.

The company noted that recently, it partnered with the Department of Medical, Health and Family Welfare of Rajasthan to offer access to clean drinking water at public health centres as part of the Adarsh Public Health Centre Yojna. 

"We also have a water stewardship initiative with AgSRI at the Kabini river basin in Karnataka. The project sets up demonstration farms and trains farmers in ecologically sustainable practices to reduce the agricultural water withdrawal from the catchment area, while improving agricultural productivity," it added.