New Delhi, Mar 23 (IANS): Coinciding with the World Water Day on Tuesday, the IGI Airport here declared that it is aiming to soon become a water positive airport by provisioning for harvesting nine million litres of rainwater.

The Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL), a GMR Infrastructure-led consortium that operates the IGI Airport, said that it is coming up with two underground reservoirs for rainwater harvesting.

The two reservoirs -- one near Terminal 1 and the other near Terminal 2 -- will become operational just ahead of the monsoon season and would help the airport store about nine million litres of rainwater.

Once commissioned, the stored rainwater would be able to supplement the demand of water and will help in water sustenance at the airport, DIAL said, adding that over the years, DIAL has installed more than 350 rainwater harvesting structures and it is adding additional 300 such structures at the Delhi Airport.

Earlier, DIAL had developed a 16.6 MLD zero liquid discharge sewage treatment plant (STP) within the airport to recycle and reuse wastewater.

The entire wastewater generated within the airport is treated in this facility. The treated water is used for heating ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC), irrigation purposes and toilet flushing at the airport.

In addition, DIAL has also set up another state-of-the-art water treatment plant which can provide 5 million litres of best quality water per day for passengers, with minimum wastage during the treatment process, a DIAL spokesperson claimed.

It also optimises water consumption in maintenance of greenery around the airport using sprinkler and drip systems.

"Water is a scarce resource and managing it is crucial for the sustenance of business, community and ecology. We are committed to improve water sustenance at the Delhi Airport. We are taking various measures and also exploring possibilities towards becoming a water positive airport in the near future," said DIAL CEO, Videh Kumar Jaipuriar.