'Usage of fly ash in country must increase'

The fly ash utilisation in the country should increase in order to offset serious environmental problems which will otherwise arise, Vimal Kumar, advisor to the Fly Ash Mission, Government of India, said.

He was speaking at the inauguration of a work shop on 'Fly Ash Utilisation' here on Tuesday. All agencies related to fly ash should take up the responsibility of educating the people and the construction industry about the usage of fly ash, he added.

The utilisation of fly ash has increased from a meagre quantity of 1 million tonnes a year during 1993-94 to about 23 million tonnes during the 2001-02, he said.

"Although the fly ash utilisation is gradually growing in the country, it is still low when compared to other countries," he said. The annual generation of fly ash in the country during 1993-94 was about 40 million tonnes. It touched 100 million tonnes by 2001-02 and is expected to cross 175 million tonnes by 2012.

The Centre is taking measures to increase the usage of fly ash by providing technology support to the industry and by giving several concessions on fly ash materials, he added.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests brought out a notification in September 1999 to conserve natural soil and to promote the utilisation of fly ash.

The government has also developed a network of 25 laboratories to provide facilitation and guidance towards safe management/utilisation of fly ash, he said. Fly ash can be used not only in the construction industry and underground mine fills, but also in the agricultural industry where fly ash utilisation can give better yields, Kumar said.

"We, therefore, need an integrated approach to increase the usage of fly ash in the country," he added.