Nearly 40,000 km of rural roads have been constructed using plastic waste under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana, a senior official said on Tuesday (October 1).
Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation (DDWS) Secretary Vini Mahajan said 13,000 km of roads have been built in the last two years using this sustainable process.
Interacting with the media, Mahajan emphasized the need for sustainability in India’s infrastructure growth. “These innovations reflect our commitment to sustainability and the future of sanitation in India,” she said, highlighting the significant progress made in plastic and greywater waste management.
Mahajan pointed out that more than 55 percent of villages across the country have been declared ‘ODF Plus model’ and currently five lakh garbage collection vehicles are in operation across the country. He attributes this progress to the united cooperation of states, Union Territories, and central ministries, especially the ‘Swachhata Hi Sewa-2024’ campaign, reports the Economic Times.
“Swachhata is a social issue that connects all of us, driven by united leadership from the highest level to local communities,” Mahajan said, clarifying that cleanliness is a continuous process that depends on changing habits.
Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday (October 2) announced that plastic waste is now essential in highway construction. So far, 80 lakh tonnes of waste has been used in the construction of national highways, including the New Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.
Speaking at the conclusion of the “Swachhata Hi Seva” campaign, Gadkari emphasized the environmental and economic benefits of using waste materials for infrastructure projects. He said recycling waste not only reduces pollution but also creates jobs.
Gadkari discussed the possibilities of making fuel from waste and mentioned projects being carried out in collaboration with Indian Oil and other companies.
He also discussed Reliance’s plans to launch 600 projects from biomass, cow dung and rice straw, showing the value of waste as an alternative fuel.