NHAI Sustainability Report highlights initiatives taken for environment sustainability

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has taken significant steps towards adopting sustainable and eco-friendly practices, including the use of renewable energy sources, promoting green highways, and adopting waste management practices, says the ‘Sustainability Report’ released by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.

The report provides a transparent account of NHAI’s performance and sets a clear roadmap for future initiatives aimed at balancing infrastructure growth with environmental sustainability, according to an official communique issued here.

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The comprehensive report details NHAI’s robust framework for integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles into every aspect of its operations, The report also highlights NHAI’s alignment with India’s global commitments and the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a sustainable future, as encapsulated in the ‘Mission LiFE’ (Lifestyle for Environment) initiative and circular economy.

The ‘Sustainability Report 2023-24’ also underlines the effectiveness of various efforts made by the NHAI for environmental protection and energy conservation.

As per the report, despite a 20 per cent increase in National Highway construction in FY 2023-24, NHAI successfully reduced its Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Intensity from 1.0 MTCO2e/km to 0.8 MTCO2e/km, demonstrating a clear decoupling of construction growth from emissions.

The report also highlighted NHAI’s efforts to promote the circular economy, which is one of the main pillars of sustainability.

In FY 2023-24, NHAI utilised over 631 lakh metric tonnes of recycled and reused materials, including fly ash, plastic waste, and reclaimed asphalt, in National Highway construction.

In addition to this, the NHAI continued to undertake nationwide tree plantation drives along the National Highways. In FY 2023-24, NHAI planted over 56 lakh saplings, and in 2024-25, it planted 67.47 lakh saplings, bringing the total tree plantation to over 4.69 crore since the implementation of the Green Highways (Plantation, Transplantation, Beautification and Maintenance) Policy 2015.

This initiative has helped to create substantial carbon sinks and enhance the positive environmental sustainability along the highways, it said.

The NHAI has also undertaken conservation and rejuvenation of water bodies along the National Highways.

Under the Amrit Sarovar Mission, the NHAI has completed the development of 467 water bodies across the country. This initiative has not only rejuvenated local water sources but also provided nearly 2.4 crore cubic meters of soil for National Highway construction, resulting in estimated savings of approximately Rs 16,690 crore, the official document added.

Further, as per the report, the water use intensity of NHAI has reduced by 74 per cent in water-stressed regions as compared to the previous report. The NHAI has integrated ‘Best Practice Guidance Document on Eco-friendly measures to mitigate impact of linear infrastructure on wildlife’, to alleviate man-animal conflict.

In addition to sustainable development, the report also highlights NHAI’s commitment to creating inclusive and responsible work practices.

As per the report, 100 per cent of NHAI’s direct employees and contract workers are covered under the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Management Framework.

The NHAI also reported zero instances of workplace discrimination, reflecting its strong commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Leveraging technology to enhance efficiency and Transparency, the NHAI successfully implemented an AI-powered ‘Data Lake 3.0’ platform, which has streamlined project management and helped resolve 155 conciliation claims, leading to an estimated savings of about Rs 25,680 crore.

Furthermore, the 98.5 per cent penetration of FASTag has facilitated reducing congestion and vehicular emissions at toll plazas, besides reducing the carbon footprint.