Nineteen million tonnes of steel trash produced each year by various factories across the country that would otherwise end up in landfills could soon find a new use – in the form of roads that not only make use of an underutilised resource but are also more durable. A road made of steel trash has been built in the Hazira Industrial Area in Surat, Gujarat, as part of the first such project as part of a research.
It is co-sponsored by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), with assistance from the Ministry of Steel and Policy Commission, as well as the NITI Aayog. The project also uses the Waste to Wealth and Clean India campaigns of the Indian government. The pilot project road is 1 kilometer long and has six lanes. It is made using 100 per cent process steel aggregate and substitutes the usual materials. According to CSRI, the thickness of the road has also been reduced by 30 per cent. It is believed that this new method can prevent the roads from any damage caused during the monsoon season.
