The natural phenomenon of infrastructural damage owing to corrosion costs up to 4% of global GDP per year and in India, it could cost an estimated 5% of GDP per year, experts quoted from a report by the CORCON Institute of Corrosion. This implies that the lack of protection against corrosion can lead to infrastructure getting corroded much before reaching its design life.
Experts representing the International Zinc Association (IZA) emphasised that corrosion control efforts could be undertaken pre-construction and post-construction to ensure that the corrosion damage and resultant costs are minimised.
Explaining how corrosion occurs, Professor Radhakrishna Pillai, Dept of Civil Engg, IIT Madras, explained to WION that corrosion is a slow chemical process that occurs when the steel bars/rods that support infrastructure react against water, oxygen, chloride or carbon dioxide.
He said that corrosion could occur in concrete structures and also in exposed infrastructure such as railway tracks, bridges etc. Corrosion is more prevalent in coastal regions and with its 7,500kms long coastline, infrastructure in coastal cities of India are vulnerable than those in other regions.
It was suggested that efforts be undertaken by the government level and also by private infrastructure firms to ensure that galvanised steel or iron is used for construction, to ensure the longevity of the infrastructure.
Galvanisation is the process of coating construction materials like iron or steel, with zinc. It is said that this method ensures both infrastructural longevity and minimises economic and environmental damages.
According to the International Zinc Association (IZA), they have been working with the Indian Railways to demonstrate the effectiveness of zinc coatings in controlling corrosions on railway tracks and using thermal sprayed zinc for rail support webs.
It was also added that new technologies in the galvanisation process had reduced the cost of galvanising metals that are meant for construction while offering the same corrosion resistance as older and more expensive methods.
Professor Pillai mentioned that corrosion prevention measures could be implemented during construction and also in buildings that are in use. He specified that galvanised metals could be used during construction and that mid-life corrosion protection could be offered by using techniques such as ‘cathodic protection of steel’.
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