Our Correspondent
KOHIMA, SEPTEMBER 4
A seminar on possible usage of geo-textiles and agro-textiles in Nagaland was held in the state capital, Kohima at Hotel Japfü conference hall on Friday. The event was a joint initiative of the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC), Central Ministry of Textiles and the state government.
Delivering the keynote address at the inaugural function, Joint Textile Commissioner (Mumbai), BB Bharti highlighted the schemes made available by the Ministry of Textiles that can be accessed by the North East states vis-à-vis the technology of geo-textiles and agro-textiles. He said the Ministry has introduced two specific schemes for promotion of development of the North East Region (NER) through application of geo-textiles and agro-textiles, of which, the first scheme is called Scheme for Usage of Geo-Textiles in NER. He informed that this scheme envisages promoting and utilizing geo-textiles in the development of infrastructure in NE states. He said the scheme, with total fund outlay of Rs.500 crores, seeks to identify and implement pilot projects to demonstrate the efficacy of geo-textiles in three main areas- road construction, slope erosion control, and water reservoirs.
Highlighting about the Scheme for Usage of Agro-Textiles in NER, the official said this scheme envisages promoting and utilizing agro-textiles in improving the horticulture and floriculture produce of the NE states by providing technological and financial support for establishing demonstration centres and disbursing agro-textile kits. The scheme has fund outlay of Rs. 55 crores, he said , and went on to add that four demonstration centers have already been established in the neighbouring states under the scheme and it is his hope that the fifth centre will be opened in Nagaland.
Bharti said further awareness programmes will be conducted in the state. In the meantime, he urged upon the stakeholder departments of the state to join hands with the state government to make the schemes successful.
Addressing the occasion as the chief guest, Chief Secretary Pankaj Kumar expressed enthusiasm to learn about the technology that is being promoted. He pointed out that Nagaland, along with the entire northeast, is a region of landslides and this phenomenon (landslides) is observed every year.
“We know of the normal civil engineering solutions to these problems, but the geo textiles including synthetic and agro, offer us a new tool which we have not experimented with before. They offer a very new strategy to tackle our problems such as landslides,” Kumar said.
He feels that the event is being held at a very opportune time as the state is presently witnessing the occurrence of landslides in many locations. He said the matter is of utmost importance as there are times when roads get blocked for days and months and a lot of economic, social and human cost is paid every year in terms of landslides. Stating that there are certain difficult areas where landslides have become a perennial feature, the Chief Secretary expressed appreciation that the visiting team of experts got to visit two affected areas in Kohima today including the Phesama landslide area.
This area, he said, is reported to have had constant landslides over the years, starting from 1962, and there are such sites in the state that are basically unstable, where landslides occur with great frequency.
“Therefore we are looking for something more than the typical civil engineering solution, and it is gratifying to learn that this technology is quite tested,” he stated.
Towards this, the top bureaucrat urged upon all the civil engineers from the state’s roads & bridges, PHED and other departments to avail the opportunity to interact with the best expertise that the country has to offer.
The government of India has come out with a scheme to take up certain pilot projects so that the states can familiarize themselves with the technology but the ultimate aim is to have it as a part of the civil engineering DNA. Kumar expressed his curiosity and keenness over the effectiveness technology and how it can be applied into the normal engineering process.
He said the repercussions of landslides have to be kept in the backdrop as the technical sessions commence, and further expressed hope that the event will bring forth constructive roadmap to effectively tackle the problem which the people of Nagaland are living with year after year.
“If our initial experiments in trying out this technology go off well, then we will be able to apply it on a more sustainable basis,” he added.
The Chief Secretary acknowledged the presence of experts at the seminar and the ICC for showing keen interest in the state.
Meanwhile, National Jute Board chief consultant, T Sanyal, who has had experiences in major international geo-synthetic textile programs abroad, explained in brief about the application of geo-textiles to strengthen infrastructures such as road development.
He recalled his recent journey from Dimapur to Kohima and his observation of mudslides/landslides at several places. Noting the vulnerability of the land in the state, he highlighted how the application of geo-textile technology on susceptible slopes and roads can strengthen the soil.
Explaining that there are two categories of geo-textiles namely synthetic and natural, Sanyal remarked though that both have their own limitations. He also pointed out that synthetic geo-textiles are suitable for roads that are more harshly used such as National Highways while natural geo-textile such as jute is usually recommended for smaller district roads.
He mentioned that he got the opportunity to visit the Phesama landslide site earlier today and shared his observations. Sanyal underscored the need for a geo-technical examination of the entire hillock at this point of time. He said the team of experts also interacted with the BRO officials supervising the works at the site. We were informed by the BRO that the road linkage will be restored when the rainy season ceases which is likely by October, he said. He advised that construction of any structure in the affected area must be stopped from coming up any time soon before a geological investigation is undertaken.
The other affected site which the team visited was the recently collapsed Secretariat Road over Sanuorü, near Working Women’s Hostel.
In the evening, two concurrent technical sessions were held on application and usability of geo-textiles and agro-textiles. Resource persons included IJIRA principal technologist Pradip Kr. Chowdhury, Maccaferri Environmental Solutions Pvt Ltd engineer and technical coordinator Joydeep Roy, Flexituff International Ltd General manager BD Geosynthetics Arindam Purkayastha, SASMIRA executive director UK Gangopadhyay, CTM Technical Textiles Ltd regional manager Md Moin, and ICAR National Institute of Research on Jute & Allied Fibre Technology director Dr. Debasis Nag.
