Every day’s Earth Day at these Bengaluru cos: Intel recycles 100% of waste water; Cisco turns to solar power

BENGALURU: Bengaluru’s appetite for power and water is insatiable. The city consumes a third (42 million units) of the power consumed in Karnataka (140 million units a day), and 900 million litres of water a day, although the demand is for 1.3 billion litres. Despite doomsday predictions that the city will run out of water sooner than later, the technology capital is only taking baby steps in implementing rainwater harvesting. Alternative sources of power, too, are being explored in few and far between experiments.

As the world celebrates Earth Day on Monday, some industries are showing the way towards energy efficiency and conservation by deploying smart technologies. Several MNC campuses are incorporating measures to save energy and for water efficiency and reduced CO2 emission in their design and construction. The companies have adopted sustainable initiatives to do their bit for a greener future.

Software company Sasken Technologies in Domlur has installed a double RO system on its campus. “We would buy 120 bottles of packaged water bottles daily and it would take a commute of 50 km daily to deliver them. We were emitting four tonnes of C02 because of this. That’s when we decided on installing an RO plant,” Sunil Dath, head - facilities and IT, said. Unlike regular RO plants that cause over 50% water wastage, their custom-built plant filters waste water a second time, reducing waster wastage by 35%.

Besides eliminating the use of plastic and replacing plastic water dispensers with steel ones, Sasken has stopped employees from bringing plastic water bottles to work. “The greater idea is that they will go back home and inculcate the same in their friends and peers,” Dath said.

Cloud data service firm NetApp’s Whitefield office has an eco-pond that collects excess water discharge from the building. A waste treatment plant treats the water, recycles it for the landscaped area occupying 70% of the campus. No water is added to the public drain and recycled water is also used for air-conditioning cooling.


While Sasken and NetApp save water, Cisco’s Bengaluru campus draws nearly 40% of its power from solar rooftop grids and through power purchase agreements (PPAs) with solar companies. These have helped reduce the campus’ Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by over 70,000 metric tonnes per year.

Tech giant Intel is almost a zero-waste water discharge organisation across its campuses in Bengaluru. Intel India’s water conservation efforts recycle 100% of waste water for airconditioning, gardening and rest rooms. The company’s new R&D facility on Outer Ring Road has an ‘interactive walkway’ with innovative energy harvesting tiles that convert energy from footsteps (as people walk into the building) into off-grid electrical energy. The power is used for an LED totem, Jitendra Chaddah, senior director, operations and strategy, Intel India, said. “Apart from various initiatives, we have also deployed 15,000 IoT-based sensors to operate our lighting systems, water and infrastructure equipment,” he said. With 28 energy conservation projects, Intel saved power to the tune of 5.2M kWh (million kilowatt-hours) in 2018. “That is enough to light up about 2,000 homes for a year,” he said.

Automotive manufacturing major Continental, too, draws over 80% of power from solar sources at its Hosur Road plant. The process to effectively utilise resources has limited the use of carton boxes. “The plant saved up to 40,000 single-use boxes a month in the last three years. This, in turn, potentially saved 230 trees from being felled,” Prashanth Doreswamy, market head, Continental India, said. The plant also uses treated water for flushing.