The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will import ingredients of pothole-filling mixture from Germany this year in an attempt to be monsoon-ready. The corporation hopes to procure the ingredients from a private contractor and produce the mixture at its asphalt factory in Worli to reduce costs. It has estimated the cost to be at ₹127 crore and has brought the proposal before the Standing Committee for sanction.
Said Vinod Chitore, chief engineer (Roads and Traffic), “We had used a new additive that was brought in from Israel last year. However, this year, we intend to get the additive from Germany, which will be developed in our Worli plant and used on the roads here. The additive powers were found to be strong enough to sustain during the monsoon. This is the first time we will be using this technology. The cold mixture has shown good results in our tests.”
The Worli plant churns out 25,000 metric tonnes of asphalt mixture, of which about 11,000 metric tonnes are used for filling up potholes that develop during the monsoon. The BMC has been under fire for being unable to handle the potholes on roads during the rains.
Lower cost
Earlier, the BMC would use a hot mixture for the potholes, but those proved to be ineffective during the rains. Said Mr. Chitore, “Last year, when we imported the asphalt from Israel, it cost us about ₹170 per kg. But, now since we ourselves will be developing it, we expect the cost to reduce to about ₹28 per kg. The vendor has assured us of a regular supply of additives this year.”
The BMC has two machines at its Worli plant. While one machine, set up in 1992, has the capacity to churn out mixture at 40 tonnes per hour, the second one, bought in 2010, has the capacity of churning out 120 tonnes per hour. Given that they need 11,000 tonnes in the monsoon alone, the BMC decided to develop the cold mix at its Worli plant by making the necessary changes to its plant there. The new contractors, M/s Infrasource Equipments and Materials, will be asked to carry out the necessary changes in the plant, provide the add-on units, install changes and sustain them for five years.
However, not everyone is convinced that this is a good move or that it will tackle the problem. Says James John, Andheri co-ordinator of non-governmental organisation AGNI, “It is corruption and not technology that is responsible for bad roads. If the roads are repaired well, then the BMC won't get crores of rupees in contracts for filling up potholes during the rains. There is a clear nexus between contractors, politicians and the BMC, and all are happy with the arrangement.”
Dangerous
The cold mixture may turn out to be hazardous, he said. Irrespective of whether it is a hot or cold mixture, bitumen, the original bonding ingredient for roads, scrapes away when it comes in touch with water. “This makes the roads more slippery and dangerous.” The cold mixture, he said, does not stick; it peels off in a few hours and makes the place more vulnerable. “The corrupt contractors hardly bother to evaporate the water off the roads before putting the mixture, to make it effective. How is it that South Mumbai or the island city has fewer potholes though they are closer to the sea?”
