The Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru announced on Wednesday, July 28, that it now replenishes more water than it consumes. A press release issued by the airport authorities said that there were 315 rainwater recharge pits in the airport premises to collect rainwater. Rainwater on the roof is also collected and stored in rainwater harvesting sumps. This water is then reused for irrigation and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning in the airport. 

“This is a significant milestone for us at BIAL. On World Nature Conservation Day, we are proud to announce that our water stewardship has created a sustainable future for the region by achieving water positivity. We accomplished this by consuming water responsibly, reusing, recycling and replenishing water bodies. At BIAL, our holistic sustainability efforts are not just focused on the airport, but also on the community at large. We hope our actions will inspire others in the region to follow," said Hari Marar, MD and CEO of Bengaluru International Airport. Water positivity is when an establishment collects and replenishes more water than they are actually using. 

With a large number of passengers arriving and departing each day, the Bengaluru International Airport requires millions of litres of water for the maintenance of infrastructure and operations. Instead of relying on municipal water supply to meet the daily water requirement, the airport authorities turned to initiatives aimed at improving water resources by way of groundwater recharge, lake recharge and the management of liquid and solid waste. 

A 2.5 million litres per day capacity Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) was developed to recycle water, which is now used for landscape irrigation, ventilation, air conditioning and firefighting requirements.

“With an aim to avoid water wastage within our campus, drains were built to direct excess water flow to Bettakote Lake, a sprawling water body adjacent to the airport,” the press release added.