7,000 Trees Will Need to Make Way for Bengaluru’s New Airport
Jackie Reddy July 04, 2019
A second terminal is being constructed at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (BLR), a project that’s raised concerns about the impact of expansion on the local environment. Airport authorities have committed to replanting vegetation that would otherwise have been destroyed during expansion.
Expansion is underway at Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (BLR), with a second runway and terminal currently being constructed. But as Global Construction Review reports, there are concerns over how the project could potentially impact the surrounding environment.
The building of the facility’s new terminal requires the relocation of just over 7,000 trees, shrubs and plants. However, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which owns and operates Kempegowda International Airport, is seeking to mitigate the impact of this expansion by relocating this vegetation to other parts of the facility.
In a statement, the airport confirmed that,1,285 plants will be moved during the project’s first phase and that the remainder will be moved during the course of the next two years. The overall goal, it says, is to ensure that the expansion – dubbed a “Terminal in a Garden” – is in harmony with Bengaluru’s famously lush surrounds.
Speaking specifically of this expansion, Tom Shimmin, the airport’s chief projects officer, said, “In keeping with Bengaluru’s image as the Garden City of India, BIAL has tried to reflect this image at the airport by creating world-class landscapes.”
He added, “The objective is to avoid felling of trees and, instead, relocate them to a place where they can further improve esthetics of the airport. All this is to ensure that the landscape is in sync with our garden-themed Terminal 2. We will transplant trees wherever there is scope to do so.”
[Featured Image: Global Construction Review]
