Delhi’s IGI given ‘water-positive’ status

IGI is the first airport in the country with a capacity of over 40 million passengers per annum (MPPA) to achieve this benchmark.

Published on: Dec 2, 2025, 03:34:12 IST

By Jasjeev Gandhiok

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

The Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport has been awarded the “water positive” status by CII-Triveni Water Institute, meaning the establishment restores more water back to the environment than it is utilising. The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) on Monday said that IGI is the first airport in the country with a capacity of over 40 million passengers per annum (MPPA) to achieve this benchmark.

DIAL said this has been achieved through multiple sources of groundwater recharge. (HT File Photo)

DIAL said this has been achieved through multiple sources of groundwater recharge, such as 625 rainwater-harvesting structures which have been installed across the airport. Further, there are two newly commissioned underground reservoirs with a combined capacity of 9 million litres, officials said. “These enable significant groundwater recharge and storage,” a DIAL spokesperson said.

Further, the airport has a 16.6 million litres per day (MLD) zero-liquid discharge Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) which recycles 100% of the airport’s wastewater.

“Treated water is reused for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems, landscape irrigation, toilet flushing, and other non-potable applications,” the DIAL spokesperson said.

Other practices include sprinkler and drip irrigation to ensure efficient water use across landscaped areas; and a state-of-the-art water treatment plant provides high-quality potable water to passengers with minimal wastage.

DIAL’s achievement was formally recognised at the Water Innovation Summit 2025, held recently where it was felicitated for successfully achieving Scope I Water Neutrality under the NITI Aayog–CII Water Neutrality Framework.

Commenting on the milestone, Videh Kumar Jaipuriar, CEO–DIAL, said: “Becoming water-positive reflects our deep commitment to responsible resource use, environmental stewardship, and the future of aviation infrastructure. More importantly, this achievement is a significant step towards our long-term vision of strengthening IGI’s position as a net zero airport. Water positivity not only reduces our dependence on natural resources but also enhances our resilience and climate readiness.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jasjeev Gandhiok
Jasjeev Gandhiok is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times, where he covers environment, climate change, the clean energy transition and wildlife at the National Bureau. Gandhiok has over a decade of experience in journalism and is based in Delhi. He has reported extensively on Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). This includes the region's air pollution woes, a polluted Yamuna and on urban wildlife still thriving in the region. He joined HT in October 2021. Prior to that, he had five-year stint at The Times of India in Delhi, where he also covered Delhi, with a focus on environment and wildlife. Gandhiok has covered some recent events around the Capital too, ranging from the farmers' protests, the northeast Delhi riots and the CAA-NRC protests, reporting from the ground on all of these. He also travels across the country to report on how environment and climate change impact everyday life, while also writing on endangered species. His reports in 2019 on toxic leachate from Delhi's landfills led to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) taking suo motu cognisance and ultimately asking the state government to start bio-mining to flatten and remove all three landfills in the capital. He also closely tracks the implementation of government policies on climate, renewable energy and environmental protection. His focus remains on impactful, public-interest journalism which explains how environmental decisions affect people's everyday lives.Read More

Catch every big hit, every wicket with Crickit, a one stop destination for Live Scores, Match Stats, Infographics & much more. Explore now!

Stay updated with all top Cities including, Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai and more across India. Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News along with Delhi Election 2025 and Delhi Election Result 2025 Live, New Delhi Election Result Live, Kalkaji Election Result Live at Hindustan Times.