'Not possible to boost geotextiles without govt support' - Gorantla
September 29, 2012 - India
“It is possible to promote geotextiles in India, as today there is a lot of awareness compared to five years ago, and it also has huge potential. However, it is not possible to exploit this potential without government support”, says a top official of a Chennai based geo-textiles products producer.
Gorantla Geosynthetics Pvt Ltd was set up way back in 2006 by Mr Praveen Kumar. It manufactures a range of products like Geotextiles, Geomembrane, Geosynthetic clay liner, Geotubes, Geonets, Geofoam, Geocomposites and many other products.
These geo-products find application in a wide range like aqua culture, canal lining, roof water proofing, erosion control, effluent treatment plants, waste landfills, railways, etc. Mr Praveen Kumar spoke exclusively with technicaltextile.net on the potential of geotextiles in India and its various applications.
Revealing the potential applications of geotextiles in India, he said, “Geotextiles are widely used in power projects, solid waste disposal site to prevent ground water pollution, water bodies like ponds in a golf course, rain water harvesting, fire water storage ponds, artificial lakes and ponds, roads, on walls to prevent land slides, sea coastline protection, erosion control application and several other applications”.
Explaining the reasons for geotextiles finding place in such a wide array of applications, he says, “Geotextiles are widely used in several applications due to its multi-functionalities like separation, protection, filtration and reinforcement. It also complements with all other geosynthetic products for various applications”.
When asked about the current status of the geotextile sector in India, he explains, “There are plenty of manufacturers for woven geo-textiles in India. However still there is a need for more quality manufacturers in India. Again there are very few producers of nonwoven geotextiles, who can produce high quality products.
“Apart from there is an urgent need for several third-party testing laboratories in India which will help educate the client on the technical aspects and differences between products and also help them gain better knowledge on the products they intend to use for their engineering projects.