Geosynthetics eyed for infrastructure projects

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) and neighbouring countries are increasingly focusing on three main areas namely infrastructure, environment and water. The growing population in the region is a major contributing factor to this. Projects such as construction of roads, highways, tunnels, bridges, railways, waste landfills, recycling facilities, water treatment plant and desalination plants are mandatory for the region. Although a significant downturn in the general construction industry, especially in high-rise buildings, office and residential towers, investments in project related to infrastructure has been witnessed, environment and water related developments have not halted or faltered as these are crucial to the development of societies. Such projects indicate an increasing demand for geosynthetics as one of the primary materials ideal for the building sector. Since their introduction in the late 1960s, geosynthetics have proven to be reliable and cost-effective ground modification materials.

Geosynthetics – a family of civil engineering materials –- are very diverse in types, properties, and applications. Every project will typically require a special study on the implementation of geosynthetics. Be it geotextiles, geomembranes liners, geogrids or geo-composites, these materials allow the creation of structures that would be almost impossible to construct without geosynthetics. The main properties that make geosynthetics ideal for the building sector in this part of the world are their excellent resistance to UV radiation, high resistance to chemicals and biological degradation; they are suitable for harsh weather conditions, are environmentally friendly and typically much more economical than conventional construction materials. Geosynthetics are also durable materials that will provide long years of performance if correctly designed and installed. A well-engineered and installed geosynthetic material will provide many years of trouble-free performance and will outlive most other construction materials like concrete or steel. Promoting the use of geosynthetics in the Middle East requires the education of consultants and clients to accept that plastic materials are capable of providing comparable or even higher performance than other products.

All major infrastructure, environmental and water projects in the Middle East have some sort of geosynthetics involved in them. Some examples in the UAE and in the region as well include the ongoing Sewerage Tunnel Enhancement Program (STEP) in Abu Dhabi, or the already completed Palm Jumeirah Tunnel, the artificial lakes at Emirates Hills and Jumeirah Islands, various waste landfills like the Sajaa Landfill in Sharjah, Ruwais Landfill in Abu Dhabi, Oil Disposal Landfill – Jebel Ali in Dubai, Hazardous Waste Treatment Centre – Mesaieed Industrial City in Qatar, Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu – Expansion of Sanitary Landfill Jubail Industrial City in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and Hafira Industrial Waste Landfill in Kingdom of Bahrain.

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