CHENNAI: The Union Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Ministry has approved the Glass Fibre Reinforced Gypsum Wall Panel (GFRG) technology developed by the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, to be used for the Housing for All scheme after studying a report submitted by a committee on the technology.
GFRG technology is a cost effective alternative to conventional material that will help build structures cost-and-time-efficient manner reducing costs by 15 per cent as compared to conventional technology. The technology reduces use of cement, sand, steel and water and instead uses recycled industrial waste gypsum. Sources say houses built by Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council (BMTPC) under a pilot project in Nellore using GFRH technology withstood the impact of cyclone Vardah.
IIT Madras, after consulting stakeholders, has been asked to prepare a report on steps required to implementing the technology together with financial implications. IIT-Madras will be preparing short-term plans (two years), mid-term plans (five years) and long term plans (10 years) to implement the technology that involves using a less built-up area compared to conventional technology that relies on huge beams.
The committee has sanctioned the setting up of calciner plants in Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu, Kochi in Kerala, Bharuch and Vadodara in Gujarat and Paradip in Odisha taking into account the availability of phosphogypsum required for this technology. The committee suggested that gypsum being a by-product of the fertilizer industry, the calciner plants need to be located in proximity to the fertilizer plants.
GFRG technology, however, has been opposed by northern States as these States are located at some distance from the proposed calciner plants and will have to incur the added cost of transportation of the panels from where they are manufactured. The committee has suggested the need for a Technology Atlas wherein emerging building technologies can be mapped according to the geo-climatic and vulnerable zones.