A pothole-mukt Bharat: Here’s the answer
Indian cities are shifting from asphalt to cement concrete roads to combat the recurring issue of potholes caused by monsoons and poor construction. Mumbai is leading this transition, with data showing that concrete roads significantly reduce long-term maintenance costs.
Why it matters
Infrastructure durability is a critical economic issue, as frequent road repairs drain public funds and disrupt urban productivity.
Year after year Indian cities spend hundreds of crores on filling up potholes that reappear with the next bout of heavy rain. Roads are tarred before the monsoon, only to crack, cave in and develop potholes in weeks. Emergency tenders are floated, traffic crawls, commuters and vehicle owners lose productive hours and pay dearly for damaged tyres, suspensions and wheel alignments. This cycle repeats itself year after year with pothole repairs becoming a persistent burden on taxpayers.The rain itself is not the real enemy, say the engineers. The potholes are primarily caused by bad road design, poor drainage, shoddy construction, repeated digging up for utilities and India’s overwhelming dependence on asphalt roads that don’t last long under heavy traffic and monsoon conditions.
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