Study to assess climate change impact on roads

April 13, 2013 01:28 am | Updated 01:28 am IST - KOCHI:

The Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has come up with a project to assess the impact of climate change on State roads for the next 50 years.

The initiative is part of scientific study, estimated at Rs. 80 crore, to map the impact of climate change on agriculture, fisheries, industries, transport, tourism, bio-diversity and forestry sectors in Kerala. The objective of the study is to develop an integrated climate change contextual database and information system in spatial domain for the State.

CSIR’s National Institute of Science Communication and Information Resources (NISCAIR) is the nodal agency for the project while the Kerala State Council for Science Technology and Environment (KSCSTE) will be the facilitating organisation. The project is expected to be submitted before the Department of Science and Technology for funding soon.

As per the CRRI’s project proposal, the study will examine the cost upswing for road agency in using modified design and periodic maintenance as a result of projected climate changes, both temperature and rainfall. Experts at the institution will identify alternative road construction materials along with cost-effective maintenance techniques for bituminous roads in the State.

CRRI has pointed out that climate change can have direct and indirect impacts on road infrastructure. The proposal recalled that rainfall changes can alter moisture balances and influence pavement deterioration. In addition, temperature can affect the ageing of bitumen.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.