NHAI to use waste from landfills for Ayodhya bypass expansion in Bhopal

The expansion of Ayodhya Bypass to 10 lanes could begin next month. This project spans approximately 16 kilometers from Asaram intersection to Ratnagiri intersection. Its notable feature is the utilization of waste materials in road construction. The same technique is being implemented on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.

The Central Road Research Institute has prepared guidelines for urban waste utilization. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is working based on these guidelines and has requested approximately 10 lakh tons of waste from Bhopal Municipal Corporation. However, according to the municipal corporation, it's not possible to provide more than 5 lakh tons of waste from Adampur Landfill site.

If all this waste is utilized in the project, the mountains of garbage at Adampur Cantonment will be completely eliminated. This requires complete processing of the waste there. Nearly 5 lakh tons of garbage has accumulated here over the past seven years, but processing has been progressing slowly. Fire incidents occur frequently during summer, spreading smoke and pollution to surrounding areas.

NHAI requested 10 lakh tons of waste

Cantonment receives 850 tons of waste daily From the 850 tons of waste arriving daily at Adampur Cantonment, approximately 10% inert waste emerges after processing. This will be used as filling material in the lower surface of the road. Additionally, non-biodegradable waste such as plastic will also be utilized.

Plastic is crushed and converted into 2-4 mm pieces. These are heated with gravel and mixed into bitumen. This makes roads stronger, more durable, and water-resistant. They can also withstand higher loads.

8,000 trees will be cut for this project. In return, 32,000 trees will be planted. 8,000 trees will be planted along Ayodhya Bypass and 24,000 trees will be planted in the BHEL area as a city forest. Plantation will follow Japan's Miyawaki method, which helps trees grow rapidly.

Devansh Nuwal, Project Director of NHAI, explained that the use of inert waste and non-biodegradable waste in road construction has proven successful in previous projects. He mentioned that they plan to implement this technique on the Ayodhya Bypass as part of their sustainability initiatives.

Municipal Corporation Commissioner Harendra Narayan affirmed that they are working to meet NHAI's waste requirements. He stated that the corporation is making arrangements to provide waste according to the demand and added that if necessary, they would also process legacy waste from old dump sites to fulfill the requirements.

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