The World Needs a Water Strategy

Nobody can argue that without water, we will be left with nothing. Water scarcity and water quality degradation rank among the biggest threats facing our planet. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Risks 2015 report, water crises – from floods to droughts to pollution – were ranked as the number-one greatest risk facing the world, regarding possible global impact.

At Ford, we see water as far more than an environmental concern. Ford’s water strategy today recognizes the basic human right to clean, affordable drinking water, and adequate, accessible sanitation.

In Gujarat, India, Ford’s ‘Sujal’ (clean water) initiative in Sanand today has been working to provide safe drinking water to 55 Anganwadis (government sponsored child-care and mother-care centre in India) covering 50 villages. The installations of water purifiers are benefitting more than 1700 children along with an equal or more number of villagers.

That is not it. We had focused on reducing our water impacts since 2000 when we began setting year-over-year reduction targets as part of our Global Water Management Initiative.

A centrepiece of our corporate water strategy is meeting increasingly stringent water-reduction goals for our operations – including developing a new  water-use-per-vehicle reduction target.

In India, Ford plants in Sanand and Chennai have accomplished substantial reductions in water use by cutting the water we use in everything from cooling towers to washing parts to paint operations.

We are investing in water-saving technologies and process improvements across our global operations. Adopt water conservation methods through state-of-the-art technologies. It is proud to note that One hundred percent of the wastewater generated is treated on-site and reused in the production process.

More so, working with respective Governments, Ford is continuing efforts to support local communities overcome their water woes – a suitable example being the Restoration of the restoration of Thirukatchur in Chennai.

Water is far more than an environmental concern for us at Ford, and we do everything we can to make a change no matter how small it may be.