Environment Day: Noida Airport to have 8-acre forest with local species, 133-hectare green area

Committed to being a net zero carbon emission facility, the Noida International Airport will have an eight-acre forest, 133 hectares of dedicated green area with the under-development site already seeing transplantation of 580 trees, including pipal and banyan.

The greenfield airport -- billed to be India's largest upon completion -- is coming up in the Jewar area of Gautam Buddh Nagar district in western Uttar Pradesh.

Located some 75 km from Delhi, this will be NCR's second international airport and is scheduled to start operations by the end of this year, according to officials.

The airport is being developed over 5,000 hectares of land in four phases in a public-private partnership model. The first phase, spread over 1,300 hectares, is nearing completion, according to project officials.

Noida International Airport's CEO Christoph Schnellmann said the facility is being developed with a vision to be India's leading greenfield airport with an ambitious net zero emission philosophy.

"Sustainability and environmental impact were some of the key criteria based on which we selected the airport's planning and design teams, construction partners, and concessionaires," Schnellmann told PTI.

"A specific area has been earmarked within the airport land to preserve local species in an eight-acre forest reserve. As part of our commitment to preserve the plant species around the airport, we have transplanted over 580 trees at the construction site," he said.

"Species like neem, ber, mango, shahtoot, shisham, jand, lasora, pipal, banyan, jamun, amrood, karanj, goolar and arjun trees have been transplanted. The transplantation process is being carried out on the scientific principles of 'pruning, root ball preparation, tree shifting and planting' ensuring no net loss of biodiversity," he said.

Organic manure is being used during the transplantation process, Schnellmann said, adding that over 133 hectares of green area will be created within the airport premises, which will help in neutralising carbon emissions.

Various other environment-friendly initiatives are planned at the Noida International Airport which include the use of renewable energy, rainwater harvesting, an onsite waste management facility, a sewage treatment plant, and electric ground support equipment, among others.

"Additionally, our EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) contractor has also leveraged breakthrough technology from Nanogence Catalyst, which is a patented smart activator that enhances the binding efficiency of cementitious material, providing high material performance while reducing carbon emissions," the airport's CEO said.