Northeast: A need for environmental sustainability
As a developing country, India needs to expand its infrastructure, and the solution to the overall challenge is to adopt sustainable and environmentally sustainable solutions for civil engineering. To promote investment in the NorthEast, the government is giving special attention to the development of this region. Various schemes are being launched to bridge the gap in social and physical infrastructure but the way forward is not as easy as it seems.
The geographical and logistical challenges in the northeastern states are quite different from the rest of India. The mountainous terrain is a major obstacle for the development of transport network in the region. Several factors, including challenging topography, have led to backwardness in many sectors including health, education, infrastructure, etc., resulting in slow economic growth. The government has been implementing various infrastructure development projects in the North Eastern states during the last five years. These relate to improving air, rail, road and waterways connectivity.
Need for sustainable development in NE
Several man-made disasters have been reported in various regions of Northeast India in recent years. These disasters have mostly been caused by the consequences of climate change, but they have also been brought about by extensive infrastructure measures that have traditionally been undertaken. In one of the most important dimensions of the Sustainable Development Goals, which is industry, innovation, and infrastructure (Goal No. 9), all 8 states in the Northeast rank lower than the rest of the country. The Net Zero commitment made it clear that the Indian government is paying close attention to the climate challenge, and at a time like this, switching to sustainable means of construction will not only help curb carbon footprints. It will also prove to be cost effective.
A sustainable alternative to NE
Northeast India is prone to natural calamities like landslides, rock falls, slope collapse, mudslides, river bank erosion etc. The speed at which rail-road infrastructure is being developed in the region is affected by its challenging topography and limited operating climate. Northeast India should adopt engineering solutions suitable for sustainable development to meet its development needs as well as reduce the environmental impact of construction.
The North East Frontier Railway (NFR) new railway line connecting the Garo Hills in Meghalaya with Assam is a project that has been given the go-ahead recently. When the project was being undertaken, the rock slopes had to be severely cut to limit excavation, compromising the safety of trains, tracks and passengers due to the possibility of rock falls on these cut slopes. The site required a secure drapery system to protect it from the effects of rock falls and landslides during the monsoon season.
To make the installation of secure drapes easier and faster on this tough terrain, Maccaferri India has used High Energy Absorption (HEA) panels and Steelgrid® MO as surface anchors at this location along with Self Drilling Anchors (SDA). Unique flexible wire meshes are provided. The system was selected over other available meshes considering the requirements of high stiffness and high tensile strength.The project was successfully completed in a short span of time i.e. around 8 months while maintaining the required standards for quality and safety. Maccaferri works on projects to ensure no waste is produced, local resources are used, and materials produced from the site are reused. Installation of geosynthetics and double-stranded wire mesh does not require highly skilled labor, which promotes local job opportunities.
With India’s participation in international bodies like COP 27 and the G7 Summit, the country is becoming increasingly aware of environmental damages, what are the root causes of these damages, and what are our next steps to curb the growing negative impacts. should be Implications With India’s G20 presidency, it has become even more important for India to communicate and because of this, communities are now considering sustainable alternatives as a practical approach to address the growing challenges.
Infrastructure development should not compromise the environment, especially now that the government has goals and aspirations to declare the country developed by 2047. It is important to identify long-term, suitable environmentally friendly solutions and subsequently adopt these solutions in construction practices.
