Bengaluru airport replenishes more water than it consumes: BIAL

BIAL said it initiated a series of initiatives to improve water resources by way of ground recharge, lake recharge, and integrated management of liquid and solid waste.

The Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru (BLR Airport) now replenishes more water than it consumes, making it 100 per cent water positive, officials claimed.

According to the Bengaluru International Airport Limited (BIAL), in charge of operating and maintaining the airport, the feat was accomplished due to the continuous efforts to uphold holistic sustainability not just focussed on the airport, but also on the community at large.

Calling it a “significant achievement, BIAL MD & CEO Hari Marar explained that conservation at this level was made possible by consuming water responsibly, reusing, recycling, and replenishing water bodies. “At BIAL, our holistic sustainability efforts are not just focussed on the airport, but also the community at large. We hope our actions will inspire others in the region to follow,” Marar said.

Further, a BIAL statement mentioned that the roadmap to achieving water positivity at BLR Airport was based on surveys, research, and expert opinions. “This led to reduced dependency on municipal water, enabling the conservation of thousands of litres of water, achieving water positivity in 2019, with a water positivity index of 1.37”, it said citing the survey certified by DNV GL, a classification society.

With a large number of passenger footfall each day, the airport requires millions of litres of water for the maintenance of infrastructure and operations.

BIAL added it initiated a series of initiatives to improve water resources by way of ground recharge, lake recharge, and integrated management of liquid and solid waste instead of relying on the municipal water supply to meet the daily water requirement.

To enable rainwater recharge at a high level, 315 rainwater recharge pits were developed on the campus while rainwater on the roof was collected and stored in rainwater harvesting sumps. “This is reused further for irrigation & HVAC supply. An advanced drip irrigation system was also deployed to reduce water usage for the landscape,” BIAL added.

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