Mumbai’s Mithi river, which is more popular for its stench rather than its water, will soon turn into a source of energy that’ll power the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport at Mumbai. A mesh of solar panels are being created to use the part of the Mithi river that flows through the airport as real estate to generate 600 KW of energy.
This initiative is not a one-off case. Mumbai International Airport Pvt Ltd, the body that runs the airport, is going all out to turn the airport carbon neutral by the end of 2017 and use every inch of space it has to generate more and more renewable energy.
Compared with its peer Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Airport in Mumbai is severely constrained by space. India’s second-busiest airport has an area of just 1,850 acres as against the more than 5,000 acres with Indira Gandhi International Airport.
That makes any sustainability effort a lot tougher. For starters, none of the solar panels can be installed on ground as there isn’t practically any space available. Rooftop panels are thus the only option. However, even there the angle of reflection needs to be adjusted carefully to avoid any inconvenience to the aircraft trying to land at the airport.
But amid landing and takeoffs of hundreds of flights each day, MIAL has been able to create space for 2 MW of solar panels atop old terminals of the airport. And the aim is to cross 7 MW capacity generation within two years.
“Sustainability as an ideology is an integral part of the company’s vision, mission and will continue to play a central role in all business initiatives and operations of MIAL,” RK Jain, CEO, MIAL. “Alongside the tangible benefits, our sustainability initiatives enable us to create a wealth of values for the people, society and environment. This corroborates well with the company’s endeavour to provide the highest standard of offerings and a sustainable quality of life for all stakeholders.”
MIAL has ensured that while it tries to rely more on renewable sources of energy, it is also able to reduce its overall energy consumption. A simple step to move towards LED lights that consume 45W each on an average as against 150W consumed by each incandescent bulb has helped reduce direct energy consumption by over 20 per cent within the last one year.
But just electricity generation wasn’t enough for the 74-year-old airport. There’s close to 1 MT of food waste generated at the airport every day. That’s a lot for a city that’s already reeling with an enormous garbage issue. The garbage therefore, is processed in five stages that comprises identification, storage, segregation, recycling and disposal. The organic waste is converted into manure and used to nourish thousands of plants within the airport.
MIAL is now working with fertiliser companies to sell the remaining organic manure that can be used elsewhere.
Next comes water management. MIAL has taken all measures to ensure that the Mithi river is not further polluted by the waste water generated by the airport. A waste water recycling plant has therefore been set up within the airport to convert waste water to drinking water. However, the water is instead used in toilets and for cleaning purposes to reduce the overall water withdrawal by nearly 30 per cent in the last one year.
The involvement of all other stakeholders in the sustainability drive is now the next important objective. One such area is reducing the noise levels generated by the aircraft. A noise monitoring terminal has been set up by the airport to identify which aircraft from a particular airline is generating more noise than internationally acceptable standards. The data is shared with Directorate General of Civil Aviation, which can issue warnings or guidelines to airlines on take-off and landing speeds to reduce noise levels. MIAL has also ensured that no diesel vehicles are used for baggage handling at the airport and only CNG or battery operated vehicles are allowed. Taxiing time for the aircraft is also on the decline after the airport set up a joint control centre which brings together representatives from the air traffic controller and the airlines to have better coordination on ground for departures and arrivals of aircraft. This initiative will not only save a significant amount of fuel, it will also mean improved efficiency for the airport that’ll now be able to handle more take-offs and landings per hour.
And what it means for the passengers is shorter and more pleasurable journeys. Many of these initiatives have been implemented by different airports across the country. But the unified approach towards every aspect of sustainability sets MIAL apart from others and creates a benchmark in itself for a futuristic airport, especially when it is handles nearly 20 per cent of all Indian traffic, and volumes are only on the rise.
(The article first appeared in The Hindu BusinessLine.)