Water discharged from BCCL mines to be purified into bottled drinking water

Coal India Limited (CIL) subsidiary Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL) will be part of an innovative initiative wherein mine discharge water will be “recycled, purified” using advanced technology to produce safe, high-quality bottled drinking water under the brand name ‘Coal Neer’.

State-of-the-Art RO Plant Set for June 30 Inauguration in Dhanbad

“The facility with a state-of-the-art RO water bottling plant, which is a joint initiative of CIL and the Union coal ministry, will be inaugurated on June 30 by the Union coal minister, G. Kishan Reddy, at Putki-Balihari in Dhanbad,” said BCCL spokesperson Abhishek Mishra.

Coal Neer Plant to Convert Mine Water into Safe Bottled Drinking Water

At this modern facility, mine discharge water will be recycled and purified using advanced technology to produce safe, high-quality bottled drinking water under the brand name ‘Coal Neer’.

“Constructed at a cost of approximately Rs 2 crore, the bottling plant has a production capacity of 4,000 liters per hour. Equipped with modern semi-automatic technology, the plant is capable of filling 40 bottles per minute,” the spokesperson added.

Coal Neer Project Promotes Women’s Empowerment and Rural Livelihoods

By offering RO-purified drinking water in convenient pack sizes—ranging from 250 ml, 500 ml, and 1000 ml bottles to 20-liter jars—BCCL will now be able to supply clean, safe, and quality drinking water to remote and inaccessible areas that previously lacked such access. Notably, this bottling plant will be operated through women’s self-help groups (SHGs).

“This initiative will provide local women with new employment and livelihood opportunities while giving fresh impetus to women’s empowerment,” said Mishra.

Currently, ‘Coal Neer’ will be utilized at the BCCL headquarters, across all BCCL operational areas, in various government offices, and at other events. This will not only result in significant revenue savings but also create new avenues for income and employment at the local level. “In alignment with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, this ambitious ‘Waste to Wealth’ project is transforming mine water into a valuable resource.

‘Coal Neer’ is not merely an initiative to provide pure drinking water; rather, it is a visionary and welfare-oriented step by BCCL towards water conservation, environmental responsibility, women’s empowerment, self-reliance, and sustainable development—powerfully demonstrating its commitment to societal and national progress through the prudent use of resources,” said BCCL CMD Manoj Kumar Agarwal. The BCCL CMD stated that in the first phase, this water would be utilized within the company itself; possibilities for its commercial use would be considered in the future. BCCL CMD Manoj Agarwal visited the site on Friday to review the progress of its construction and inspected the bottling plant currently being built there.

The first bottling plant under this project of the Coal Ministry is being established in the BCCL area. BCCL Putki-Balihari Area General Manager G.C. Saha stated that the plant would yield 20 liters of water per minute. Water from underground mines will be purified using advanced RO technology and packaged in 250 ml, 500 ml, and one-liter bottles.