As nations across the world have set their eyes on meeting their green
goals, India is surging ahead with its army may be leading the way. With
the target set, the army it seems is leaving no stone unturned to reduce its
carbon emissions.
The new army headquarters building in Delhi Cantonment is an example of
this noblest of ventures. The new Thal Sena Bhawan, built to the highest
engineering standards, incorporates many green initiatives. The new
building will be a net-zero carbon emission building once completed.
The new Thal Sena Bhawan is made using environmentally friendly
construction materials such as fly ash bricks, ashcrete cement (a true
green concrete, made wholly from waste materials, with a dense matrix that
prevents harmful solutions from penetrating the material) and recycled
wood. The new building will have its own compost plant, sewage treatment
plant, solar park and points to charge Electric Vehicles (EVs).
The Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Manoj Pande inaugurated The
state-of-the-art barracks of the new compound today. The barracks,
constructed in a record time of a year, will host modern amenities for all
weather conditions like central cooling system. The army chief stated that
the new building exemplifies how the army’s new infrastructure prioritises
sustainability and also improves the quality of life of soldiers.
This is not the first time the army has shown its commitment to the
environment. The army once created a world record by planting 4,47,874
saplings in a single day. Recently, on the 75 th Independence Day the army
planted saplings at military stations across the country. In the last two years
the army has planted over 13 lakh trees across the country using both
traditional and scientific methods using less land intensive techniques.
The army is also at the forefront of new and hi-tech green technologies.
In order to reduce dependence on fossil fuels the army is collaborating
with various agencies on Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technology. The army is the
first government body to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to
install a green hydrogen based microgrid power plants along the northern
borders. A 200 kilo watt plant has been established in Chushul along the
Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. The army also operates a hydrogen fuel
cell bus. Around 900 electric vehicles are to be purchased by the Indian
Army and will be inducted before 2026.
The army is also a leader when it comes to solar power generation. The
organization generates 85 MW of solar energy, this is more electricity than
that generated by sun-kissed tropical Maldives. The army has even taken
solar panels above the roof of the world and has installed them on posts
overlooking Siachen Glacier, with 1 MW power plants each at Partapur and
Siachen Base Camp. Large solar plants are to also to come up at vacant
defence land in the North East.
Our forces which do the difficult as a routine, the impossible may take a bit
longer, but at this rate it seems the army will get there before any other
organization does.
Dhruv Yadav
