Good connectivity, environmental sustainability a must for the Northeast

As a developing country, India needs to expand its infrastructure, and the solution to the overall challenge is adopting durable and environmentally sustainable solutions for civil engineering. To promote investments in the northeast, the government has been providing special attention to the development of this region. Various schemes to bridge the social and physical infrastructure gaps are being undertaken but the path ahead is not as simple as it appears.

The geographical and logistical challenges in the northeastern states are quite different from the rest of India. The mountainous terrain is a major bottleneck for developing a network of transportation in the region. Several factors, including the challenging topography, have led to underdevelopment in several 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 waterway connectivity.

Need for sustainable development in the NE

Numerous man-made disasters have been reported in various regions of northeast India in recent years. These disasters were mostly caused by the consequences of climate change, but they were also brought on by intensive infrastructure initiatives that were carried out conventionally. In one of the Sustainable Development Goals’ most critical dimensions, which is industry, innovation, and infrastructure (Goal #9), all 8 states in the Northeast are lower in rank compared to the rest of the nation. Net Zero commitment made it evident that the Indian government is paying close attention to the climate challenge, and at a time like this, switching to sustainable means of construction would not only help curb carbon footprints but also prove cost-effective. 

Sustainable alternatives for NE

North-East India is subject to natural disasters such as landslides, cliff falls, subsidence of the slopes, mudflows, riverbank erosion, etc. The pace at which the railway-road infrastructure is developed in the region is affected by this challenging topography and limited operating seasons. North-East India must embrace tailored engineering solutions for sustainable development to meet its development needs while simultaneously reducing the environmental repercussions of construction.

The Northeast Frontier Railways (NFR) new railway line connecting the Garo Hills in Meghalaya with Assam, is one project that was recently pushed through. While this project was being undertaken, rock slopes had to be cut steeply to restrict excavation, compromising the safety of trains, tracks, and passengers due to the possibility of rockfall on these cut slopes. This site required a safe drapery system to guard against monsoon-season rockfall and landslide repercussions.

To make the installation of secured drapes on this tough terrain simple and rapid, Maccaferri India provided unique flexible wire meshes including High Energy Absorption (HEA) Panel and Steelgrid® MO as well as Self Drilling Anchors (SDA) as surface anchors at this location. The system was chosen above other available meshes taking into account the demands of high stiffness and high tensile strength. The project was successfully finished in a brief amount of time—roughly 8 months—while keeping the required standards for quality and safety. Maccaferri works on projects to ensure that there is no waste produced, that local resources are used, and that site-generated materials are reused. Geosynthetics and double twisted wire mesh installation do not need extremely skilled labour, which promotes local work opportunities.

With India’s participation in international institutions like the COP 27 and G7 Summits, the country is becoming increasingly conscious of the environmental damage that has been done, what the primary source of those damages was, and what our next steps should be to stop the mounting adverse effects. With India’s G20 presidency, it has become all the more important for India to walk the talk and because of this, communities are now beginning to consider sustainable alternatives as a practical approach to address the escalating challenges.

Infrastructure development should not compromise the environment, especially now when the government has objectives and aspirations to declare the country developed by 2047. It is essential that long-term, tailored environment-friendly solutions are identified and that subsequent construction practices embrace these solutions.

Also read | ‘Cracker-gate’ shows Mizoram doesn’t benefit from banning everything fun