Mumbai airport uses green bacteria for cleaning, saves 1 lakh litres of water every day

Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport has now employed an innovative method to cut down on the usage of water in its washrooms and for the cleaning of floors, reportedly saving over one lakh litres of water every day.

The authorities have introduced the concept of using ammonia-feeding bacteria in the urinals, which converts the ammonia generated out of uric acid accumulation into nitrogen as soon as the toilet is used. The management claims that a distinguished mixture of microbes is being employed across the entire 1,400 acres that make up Terminal 2.

Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport is the first to make use of this environment-friendly phenomenon. The airport officials have completely disconnected the auto sensors that were connected to the flushes, replacing them with a green mixture comprising several organic enzymes and bacteria. Contrary to the conventional methods of using manpower to do the tedious job of cleaning all the floors from time to time, the bacteria works round the clock.

An official from Mumbai International Airport Private Limited (MIAL), in a chat with Times of India, said

We started working on the project last July. Our prime concern was whether the green chemicals would be effective given the scale of the job at hand and the large number of passengers that the airport handles. We found that the urinals and commodes aren't used the way they are supposed to be. It leaves them dirty and frequent cleaning wasn't the solution.

The Indian Green Building Certification (IGBC) certified the Mumbai airport with an exclusive platinum rating on account of the work done by the management.

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