The Government of India and the World Bank have partnered to implement the Green National Highways Corridor Project (GNHCP), covering 781 km in Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh. The project is funded by a USD 500 million loan from the World Bank, contributing to a total project cost of USD 1,288 million (Rs 7,662 crore). The GNHCP aims to promote environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient highway infrastructure by integrating green technologies and conserving natural resources. These include methods like using cement-treated sub-base, reclaimed asphalt pavement, and eco-friendly materials like lime, fly ash, and waste plastic, along with bio-engineering measures for slope stabilization, such as hydro seeding and coco/jute fibres.
Under the Indian Roads Congress guidelines on the Green Highways Policy (2015), extensive plantation efforts have been undertaken, resulting in the planting of 465.42 lakh trees along National Highways across the country. Specifically, Maharashtra has planted 40.17 lakh trees and Madhya Pradesh 43.53 lakh trees between 2015 and November 2024.
A study published in 2023, titled An Assessment of Avoided CO2 Emissions during Construction, Maintenance, and Operation of National Highways, examined data from 20 highway stretches totalling 2,191.5 km. The findings estimate the potential reduction of CO2 emissions through the adoption of green and improved highway infrastructure.
The study highlights that constructing these highways emitted 5,716.66 thousand tonnes of CO2, while maintenance activities added another 1,164.68 thousand tonnes. Tree removal for construction contributed an additional 652.60 thousand tonnes. Under a “business as usual” (BAU) scenario, vehicles would have consumed approximately 50.96 billion litters of fuel over 20 years, primarily diesel (81–83%) and petrol (17–19%). However, the improved highways are expected to reduce fuel consumption by 19%, saving approximately 9.77 billion litters. Medium and heavy commercial vehicles are projected to account for the majority of these savings, with reductions of 53% and 23%, respectively.
The improved highways are anticipated to avoid 25.19 million tonnes of CO2 emissions over 20 years across the analysed 2,191.5 km, equivalent to 11,493 tonnes per km. Greenfield highways are expected to achieve a CO2 reduction of 10,167 tonnes per km, while brownfield highways could reach 11,936 tonnes per km. Compensatory afforestation and avenue plantations post-construction are projected to sequester 584.27 thousand tonnes of CO2 during the same period.
Overall, the assessment estimates a total potential avoidance of 18,237.31 thousand tonnes of CO2 over 20 years for the analysed stretches, equivalent to the CO2 sequestration capacity of 45.14 million trees. Since 2014, 77,265 km of national highways have been constructed, which could collectively avoid 32.15 million tonnes of CO2 annually and 642.95 million tonnes over 20 years—comparable to the CO2 absorption of 31,826 million trees.
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