India plan includes budget for geosynthetics

Infrastructure projects in country’s northeast region

The India Ministry of Textiles announced in a Dec. 16 press release that it has approved a plan, and budget, for using geosynthetic materials in geotechnical and civil engineering projects in the northeast region of the country.

Officially called “Scheme for promoting usage of geotechnical textiles in North East Region (NER),” the intention is to “capitalize on the benefits of geotechnical textiles,” according to the release.

The infrastructure plan was approved Dec. 3 and includes a financial outlay of about $70 million for five years from 2015-2020-about $60 million for geotextile material applications and more than $8.5 million for training and other soft components.

The release noted that geotextile technologies will help in building roads and reservoirs in the region, NER infrastructure that will require less maintenance and have longer useful life spans. The NER includes foothills to the Himalayas, areas that are prone to landslides and seismic activity, with weak soil conditions, and heavy seasonal rainfall. The Ministry’s press release underscored the proven effectiveness of geotextile applications for such conditions.

The current plan calls for pilot projects to demonstrate the effectiveness of geotextiles in road building, slope and hillside erosion protection, and water reservoirs.

Source: India Press Information Bureau