On the occasion of World Environment Day 2020, Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL), the operator of Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru (BLR Airport), announced the deployment of a weather-based smart automatic irrigation system to manage its sprawling 100-acre landscape.
This first-of-its-kind weather based smart automatic irrigation system, can be controlled from an app on a mobile phone. It irrigates plants based on the calculation of various parameters, including the evapotranspiration, soil moisture and weather conditions.
Equipped with a hydro-pneumatic pump station and automatic filtration unit, the irrigation system enables water saving of up to 30 per cent over conventional modes of irrigation. The system applies precise amounts of water through drip irrigation, based on plant requirement and minimises water wastage due to evaporation, saves manpower costs and protects the landscape from over watering.
The technology allows landscape professionals to manage BLR Airport’s sprawling gardens from remote locations, with the help of a mobile phone, without requiring physical inspection. The technology enabled BIAL to efficiently manage the vast landscape during the lockdown.
In addition, the technology is aided with sensors like soil moisture sensor, flow sensor and rain sensor. Working in tandem with the weather station, it gives BIAL’s Landscape team accurate readings of air temperature, wind speed, solar radiation, wind direction, relative humidity and rainfall, enabling the efficient management of the landscape.
In another important update from BIAL, in June last year, translocation of nearly 8,000 trees was commenced for infrastructure development at BLR Airport. A year later, 3,710 trees, 4,602 palms and accent plants and 63,279 shrubs and ground cover have been translocated. This implies a success rate of almost 98 per cent.
