NEW DELHI: In a move that could provide solution for disposal of municipal solid waste, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) plans to use solid waste material for its highway construction program and it will be implemented on NH-24 Meerut Expressway on pilot basis where waste will be sourced from Ghazipur landfill on Delhi border.
The move comes after a study was conducted by the CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CRRI). The institute submitted its report to NHAI Friday and said that the municipal solid waste (MSW) contains about 65 to 70 percent of soil components which can be used in embankment construction after segregation from the municipal solid waste.
Using MSW by NHAI could provide a solution to big problem of waste disposal across several Indian cities.
The CSIR-CRRI conducted a study by collecting 70 tonnes of Municipal Solid Waste from different locations of 5/10/15 years old from Ghazipur Land fill site of Municipal Corporation of Delhi.
The methodology suggested for use is by drying the collected municipal solid waste and passing through different sieves. The percentage passing from the 16 mm sieve contains 44 to 48 percent of municipal solid waste which can be directly used in embankment construction.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (East) had earlier approached NHAI to make use of waste at Ghazipur Landfill site, whereupon Chairman NHAI had commissioned analytical study through CRRI.
NHAI plans utilisation of this solid waste material for its highway construction program on NH-24, Meerut Expressway.
“To allay the doubts of concessionaires and to encourage them to utilise this waste, NHAI has offered to indemnify the concessionaires for the stretches where this waste material shall be tried,” said an NHAI official.
NHAI will write to Ministry of Environment and Forests to allow usage of solid waste material in lieu of fly-ash wherever feasible.
“This initiative of NHAI shall promote the construction of Green Highways in the country as it amounts to substantial replacement of natural earth, mining of which causes environmental problems. NHAI is already utilising fly-ash upto 30 percent of earth filling in the Eastern Peripheral Expressway and using other slag materials elsewhere,” the official added.