Govt to make water audit mandatory for companies

After tax audits and mandatory corporate social responsibility norms, the government is set to introduce water audit and yearly water footprint disclosures in annual reports a mandatory feature for companies.

The move is aimed at encouraging companies registered in India to adopt the best international practices on water use efficiency.

A senior official said the idea is to make it mandatory for companies to disclose the volume of fresh water used by them in their production activities and the volume of recycled water use per year.

Firms will also have to commit themselves to timelines on reducing their water footprint. "This would be implemented through the corporate affairs ministry soon," said the official.

The corporate water footprint is defined as the total volume of fresh water that is used directly or indirectly to run and support a business.

The water footprint of a business consists of water used for producing/manufacturing or for supporting activities, and the indirect water use in the producer's supply chain. This will now have to be disclosed every year in the company's annual report.

"While many companies are adopting water audit and water conservation as part of their work culture at their respective manufacturing units, a mandatory including of water auditing and disclosure of water footprint in annual reports will go a long way in making corporate India improve its accountability towards reducing waste of fresh water," said a functionary with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

The government will also make comprehensive water audits a recurring feature of industrial activity. The water audit will consider both quantity and quality aspects of these industries.

These measures will begin with the scrutiny of water use by large water-intensive industries, including paper and pulp, textiles, food and beverage, leather, pharmaceutical, oil and gas and mining, among others.

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