As India at this point looks forward to accomplishing its ambitious environmental objectives such as the net zero emission goal by 2070, the role of numerous business segments goes on to become very critical, especially the real estate sector, which happens to be among the largest contributors when it comes to the greenhouse gas emissions. As per one of the reports from McKinsey, the sector is indeed responsible for 39% of the overall emissions in the country, with almost 11% cropping from building materials.
This kind of alarming situation goes on to demand quite immediate attention from the industry as well as all the other stakeholders so as to actively contribute to the nation’s developmental along with the environmental goals.
This also happens to highlight the necessity to go ahead and embrace sustainable practices as well as technologies to make sure that the project happens to be a green one. Apparently, in the last few years, there has been a notable change that has been witnessed with regards to this.
Companies that happen to be operating in this segment are growingly transforming their operations while at the same time also integrating green measures. But the actions need to be intensified so as to achieve desirable results when it comes to reducing emission intensity.
The execution of sustainable practices as well as technologies
Thanks to today’s state-of-the-art technologies, executing the sustainability measures along with the plans has become much easier.
There are many methods as well as technologies that go on to empower builders to decarbonize the industry and allow other stakeholders to go ahead and play an active role when it comes to the fight against climate change. The first step with regards to this could be making the construction staff environment-friendly by providing them the requisite training so as to lessen the dust during the construction processes, which happens to cause environmental hazards as well as health complications too. The air quality when it comes to construction sites can also be enhanced by constant monitoring of PM2.5 and PM10 levels and also by way of following the National Building Code 2016. They can go on to be highly effective when it comes to mitigating emissions within the boundaries of the site and, at the same time, protecting workers along with the people in the vicinity.
Furthermore, in terms of waste generation, India happens to be stand at a critical point. The country in today’s times produces 35%-40% of the overall construction and demolition- C&D waste globally. But the fact is that it recycles just 1% of the overall waste generated throughout the building process.
This kind of distressing situation can be handled by way of strictly implementing the No Waste Policy as far as the construction sites are concerned. Moreover, builders must go ahead and embrace the idea of 3Rs which are reduce, reuse, and recycle. This will go on to facilitate the mitigation push while at the same time going ahead and protecting the environment. It also happens to be pretty important for builders to demonstrate complete adherence to building and construction guidelines like the Indian Green Building Council- IGBC, Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies- EDGE as well as pollution control measures. IGBC goes on to make the builders adopt an approach of responsibility towards construction as well as the environment, which also enables them to go on to contribute meaningfully when it comes to preservation efforts such as energy efficiency as well as water conservation. Moreover, EDGE, which happens to be an international green building certification, enables builders to make sure that their projects happen to be in line with the globally recognized standards. Such buildings can go on to save almost 30% energy as well as 50% water consumption, while at the same time also reducing the financial burden when it comes to the homeowners.
Additionally, integrating novel technologies can go on to strengthen the mitigation push of builders. For example, the usage of solar panels for electricity, UPVC doors as well as windows, walls that are energy-efficient, reflective roofs, rainwater harvesting, high thermal performance windows as well as waste water treatment, and also reuse happen to be techniques that should be implemented across the projects.
It is well to be noted that the builders can go on to roll out advanced Aluminium Formwork- AFW technology in order to make even high-rise buildings earthquake resistant. It helps to have high quality output within a shorter time period.
Time to go for actions
The real estate sector happens to be witnessing a consistent growth in demand for residential as well as commercial properties. The surge in urban population, disposable income, as well as quest for luxury will go on to further speed-up the demand in the segment. Apart from this, the consistently growing environmental awareness within the consumers and their altering purchasing behavior compel the development of green projects. In order to show respect to consumers’ love when it comes to the environment and at the same time also cater to their demands, the construction sector should augment actions when it comes to sustainable buildings.
Conclusion
Being one of the significant contributors to the economy, with a number of over 7%, and an important player when it comes to improving the quality of life, the Indian real estate sector will indeed have to adopt a more valuable and responsible approach when it comes to contributing towards the country’s green goals. The fact is that the industry needs to be in sync with its objectives, taking into account much greater environmental goals, and apparently this happens to be quite achievable in today’s times when there are path-breaking technologies that are available. It is worth to note that the time has come to go ahead and emphasize harnessing such kinds of technologies while at the same time, developing projects. With this kind of measure, they can all go on to be true contributors to the country’s march towards going ahead and becoming a developed nation by 2047.
