Green Highways

Key Highlights:

• India's green highway approach integrates plantation, climate-resilient design, and resource-efficient construction.
• Over 3.61 crore saplings have been planted across approximately 1.32 lakh km of National Highways in the last five years.
• The Green Highways Policy, 2015, guides these efforts, focusing on environmental benefits and employment generation.
• The National Highways Green Cover Index (NH-GCI), developed with NRSC (ISRO), provides a scientific assessment of green cover.
• Indigenous Bio-Bitumen technology, developed by CSIR-CRRI and CSIR-IIP, uses farm residue for road construction.
• NHAI guidelines mandate 80% Right of Way (RoW) coverage and 90% sapling survival for plantation works to be compliant.

Detailed Insights:

• India's National Highway network has grown by 61% from 91,287 km in 2014 to 1,46,572 km by March 2026.
• The Green Highways Policy, 2015, aims to reduce air pollution, arrest soil erosion, moderate wind/radiation effects, and create local employment.
• Plantation monitoring now incorporates drone and satellite-based methods, supplementing traditional site visits.
• The Miyawaki technique is utilized for creating dense forests rapidly within limited spaces, promoting faster growth.
• NHAI instituted the Green Highways Excellence Awards in 2025 to encourage good practices, with high weightage on plantation survival and native species.
• The first annual NH-GCI report (2025–26) assessed nearly 30,000 km of National Highways across 24 states, establishing a baseline for monitoring.
• Bio-Bitumen, produced via pyrolysis of post-harvest rice straw, aims to reduce India's bitumen import dependence, which is currently around 50%.
• A 100-meter trial stretch using bio-bitumen was successfully laid on the Jorabat–Shillong Expressway (NH-40) in Meghalaya.
• India is the first country to scale bio-bitumen technology to industrial and commercial levels within the same year.
• Other sustainable materials used in highway construction include fly ash, pond ash, Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP), Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste, plastic waste, and crumb rubber.
• Community engagement initiatives like "Trees for Bees" create pollinator corridors, and "Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam" promote public participation in greening efforts.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Green Highways Policy, 2015: A policy framework for plantation, beautification, and maintenance along National Highways to enhance environmental sustainability.
• Miyawaki technique: A method for creating dense, native forests rapidly in small areas by planting trees close together.
• National Highways Green Cover Index (NH-GCI): A scientific, satellite-based assessment of green cover within the Right of Way (RoW) along National Highways.
• Bio-Bitumen: A sustainable road construction material produced from farm residue (e.g., rice straw) via pyrolysis, reducing reliance on conventional bitumen.
• Right of Way (RoW): The designated land area legally required for the construction, operation, and maintenance of highway infrastructure.