Mumbai: The Mumbai Airport has emerged as the second runner-up at Kaizen Conference and Competition 2018 for using enzymatic and biological cleaning agents in the men’s urinals, which has resulted in saving of 324 kilo litres of water every day and doing away with auto janitor fragrance sprays.
The airport replaced water with a mix of bacteria and enzymes to mop floor and clean the men’s urinals in February-March 2017. “The airport has been using a mixture of macromolecular biological catalysts or microbes to stop using water in its men’s urinals and in mopping its 1,400 acres of floor space across Terminal 2, becoming the first airport to do so,” an airport official said.
To begin with, airport officials disconnected the auto-sensors connected to the flush, and replaced its water connection with a green mixture comprising enzymes and bacteria. “Besides 200 washrooms, this mixture is being used to clean four lakh square metres of surface area at the integrated terminal. Unlike conventional methods of cleaning, which require regular touch-ups, the bacteria in the mixture work round the clock,” officials said.
The solution is poured in the urinals and sprayed in the air, at regular intervals. The effect is visible with the authorities not having to use masking agents to suppress the otherwise strong smells in the bathrooms. “The bacteria convert the ammonia generated due to uric acid accumulation to nitrogen, as soon as the toilet is used,” officials said.
A spokesperson of the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA) said the airport has been adjudged as the second runner-up in ‘Breakthrough Level Kaizen’ category at the CII TPM Kaizen Awards 2018.
“The Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL) presented the breakthrough kaizen-reduction technology in flushing water usage quantity (urinals) by enzymatic and biological cleaning. Breakthrough kaizen is evaluated based on the guidelines – necessity understanding, uniqueness and simplicity,” a statement by the MIAL said.
The Indian Green Building Certification has already certified the airport with a platinum rating, thanks to the green initiatives. A green audit undertaken awarded a score of 94 points to T2 in 2017, the highest till date, based on its performance in site and facility management, water efficiency, energy efficiency, health and comfort, and innovation.
The MIAL’s use of green chemicals for cleaning and addition to rooftop solar power generation at T2 helped garner the most points under evaluation.
The airport was in 2017 rated the world’s best airport for the Airport Service Quality awards for customer experience, by the Airports Council International. Additionally, the airport bagged the top award for the ‘Best Airport Staff Service’ at the Skytrax World Airport Awards 2017.
It was also awarded third in the top five-most improved airports in 2015, and the Best Airport in 2016 in India and central Asia, by Skytrax.
