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— Photo: B. Jothi Ramalingam

Being environment conscious: Construction industry can play an important role in minimising climate change through their choice of construction methods and materials, and adopting appropriate technologies.

How the construction industry can move towards sustainable development?

The starting point for all members of the construction industry that wish to approach sustainability as a development opportunity must be to re-think their operations in four key areas:

• Energy: reducing energy consumption, being more energy efficient and using renewable energy and ‘alternative technology’.

• Materials: Choosing, using, re-using and recycling materials during design, manufacture, construction and maintenance to reduce resource requirements.

• Waste: Producing less waste and recycling more.

• Pollution: Producing less toxicity, water, noise and spatial pollution.

It has been estimated that 22% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions is contributed by the construction sector in India.

Construction industry can:

• Go back to the design process and create more energy efficient designs, considering the energy required for humans to use buildings.

• Seek to make existing buildings more energy efficient.

• Use local materials/workforce/energy to reduce transport.

• Use more low energy/ energy saving materials.

• Recycle more in order to save the energy used to transport and dispose of waste, and to save the energy of manufacturing new materials.

• Consider how to use renewable energy sources

• Physically orient buildings to maximise their capacity to exploit renewable energy.

• Consider how to use ‘alternative technology’;

The following points require attention, regarding the use of modern building materials: Energy consumed in the manufacturing processes – energy intensity; problems of long distance transportation; natural resources and raw materials consumed; recycling and safe disposal; impact on environment, and long-term sustainability.

Sustainable waste management means using material resources efficiently; to cut down on the amount of waste we produce. Where waste is produced, dealing with it in a way that actively contributes to the economic, social and environmental goals of sustainable development.

There are many types of pollution associated with the construction industry, including dust and noise pollution, water pollution and toxicity. 50% of all global warming gas emissions and CFC use is related to buildings.

Pollution of water has a serious detrimental impact on the environment. Construction industry is responsible for a number of water pollution incidents.

How can the Construction Industry take a more sustainable approach to pollution?

• Dispose of ozone depleting substances;

• Research into the use of materials that do not emit harmful gases, radiation or dust and try to use less of those that do.

• Increase on-site management of storage in order to reduce spillage and leaks.

• Increase recycling and practice more efficient purification of industrial waste.

• Reduce transport; use local materials, manufacturing and labour when cost-effective.

• Use more replaceable resources when possible.

• Be aware of local environmentally sensitive sites, practice habitat restoration where necessary.

Construction industry contributes 22% of GHG emissions into the atmosphere. It is difficult to sustain the building activity in the long-term to meet the future demand for buildings by using the currently available energy-intensive materials and building techniques/technologies. India is the second largest cement producer in the world and with the speedy infrastructure growth programme that is already under way, concrete construction activity is bound to get a boost in coming years. Under such circumstances, long-term sustainability becomes vital.

A.R. SANTHAKUMAR

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