Melting Ice and Snow

With the rapid development of highway construction in India, more and more highways have been built in the cold region with high latitudes and high altitudes. Heavy snows in the cold region cause the soil freezing and snow cover on the pavement in tunnel portals and greatly reduce the friction coefficient of pavement. This often results in motor vehicle accidents and endangers the drivers and passengers, explains Dr. Siksha Swaroopa Kar, Principal Scientist – Flexible Pavements, CSIR-Central Road Research Institute – CRRI

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is currently executing its crucial Project Himank, dedicated to winter snow clearance operations on strategically significant road axes and prominent mountain passes in Ladakh. The relentless efforts of the BRO are focused on ensuring accessibility to key regions, including Chang La, Warila, Marshimikla, Kajukondla, Kassangla, Umling La, and the Darbuka-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldie Road. The importance of these thoroughfares cannot be overstated, as they play a pivotal role in facilitating troop movement and logistical support in the challenging terrain of Ladakh, particularly during the harsh winter months.

As highlighted in a recent article by the Economic Times, the BRO’s commitment to snow-clearing operations remains unwavering, underscoring the strategic significance of maintaining these lifelines. The challenging weather conditions and the formidable altitude of Ladakh make these operations a testament to the professionalism and dedication of the BRO personnel. Beyond ensuring troop mobility, the successful execution of Project Himank is instrumental in bolstering India’s defence capabilities in the region.

Current Scenario

As per Global scenario, Currently, there are two major methods for melting ice and snow: snow removal with machine and snow-melting. With high efficiency, snow removing machines are applicable for removing large area of snow and ice on pavement. However, considering the larger cohesive force between ice and pavement induced by the lower temperature, the snow-removing machine alone cannot achieve satisfactory snow removal effect and cannot thoroughly remove the ice cover on pavement. Generally, the snow-melting method can be divided into two kinds, namely, chemical method and heating method. The heating method employing the heat pump, infrared lamp, heating wire, or hydrothermal fluid has a promising prospect of application. Literature says, the chemical de-icing method results in many negative impacts such as corrosion in steel bars, environmental pollution etc.