‘Waste management, renewable energy are part of growth plan’

The Delhi airport has grown at a fast pace and a host of new facilities are in the pipeline.

The Delhi airport has grown at a fast pace and a host of new facilities are in the pipeline. HT spoke to DIAL CEO I Prabhakara Rao over the environmental impact of the project where energy and water conservation are necessary and curbing noise and air pollution is also important. Excerpts:

File photo of DIAL CEO I Prabhakara Rao.

What have been the three major challenges since Delhi airport was privatised?

We divided challenges in three parts; infrastructure development, service quality and environmental impact. While it was important to develop new facilities such as new runway and new terminal, service quality was one thing we focused on a lot. There are multiple agencies at the airport and we need to keep them together.

What was the environmental impact of this project?

We have necessary pollution control systems and safeguards in place. Environment management is an integral part of business strategy towards achieving credibility and business sustainability. We have adopted environmental measures such as green infrastructure, use of renewable energy, greenhouse gas emission reduction, efficient management of wastes and provision for eco-friendly vehicles among others.

T-3 is the first airport terminal building in the world to have received the LEED-NC (Leadership in Energy and Environment Design – New Construction) Gold accreditation for its green footprint spread across 5.5 lakh square meters.

What steps have been taken to conserve water.

In 2006, when we took over, Delhi airport was using 10 million litre water per day. 10 years down the line, the quantity is same because we are recycling water.

What about noise pollution?

We have noise monitoring units at five locations and a monitoring team keeps track of violations.