IWAI’s Kalughat IMT gets recognition for sustainable infrastructure project
KALUGHAT : Inland Waterways Authority of India’s Intermodal Terminal (IMT) at Kalughat in Bihar has received five star SVAGRIHA rating from GRIHA council. The terminal is one among several infrastructural interventions made by Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) under World Bank funded Jal Marg Vikas Project (JMVP) for capacity augmentation of National Waterway 1 – River Ganga. The award was received by Shri Arvind Kumar, Director, JMVP along with Shri Manish Tiwari, Specialist (Environment Impact Assessment), JMVP and Shri J J Patel, Project Manager, Sanjay Construction Company – the contractor agency.
SVAGRIHA rating that stands for Simple Versatile Affordable GRIHA – supports the concept of green buildings and sustainability under Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA) – a joint venture of Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and Delhi-based The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). The rating recognises the environmentally sustainable practices followed by IWAI while building the necessary IWT infrastructure to facilitate cargo and passenger movement on National Waterway 1 (NW 1) – River Ganga. IMT Kalughat received five star rating for its efforts to ensure environmental sustainability by ensuring usage of recyclable materials like fibre, recyclable glasses, paint, sanitary fixtures etc during the building of the terminal.
The construction of the IMT is based on the energy and waste management criterions as specified by GRIHA council which entails aspects like sustainable site planning, sustainable building materials, energy optimisation, water management and solid waste management.
Kalughat IMT has a sewage treatment plan for recycling water and relies on optimum usage of renewable energy during operations. The utilisation of construction and demolition waste during the construction work was one of the key features of the IMT’s planning and building work.
Built at a cost of 82.48 crore and a capacity of 77,000 TEU per annum, IMT Kalughat on NW 1 is critical for transportation of cargo originating or destined for hinterland of North Bihar. Besides, it provides connectivity to Nepal for EXIM cargo.
Aligning with the vision of Viksit Bharat under the dynamic leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and the able guidance of Hon’ble Minister, Ports, Shipping and Waterways Shri Sarbananda Sonowal, IWAI is committed to building inclusive and climate-resilient IWT infrastructure on national waterways by contributing towards the overall economic growth of the country. IMT Kalughat is one such example.