The Indian Chapter of the IGS has been championing geosynthetics for more than 30 years

The Indian Chapter of the IGS has been championing geosynthetics for more than 30 years following its formation in October 1988. Here, current Chapter President Vivek Kapadia shares some of its highlights and upcoming initiatives.

Please tell us a bit about your membership.
We have 90 Individual Members, 80 Student Members and 13 Institutional Members. Institutional members consist of manufacturers, research institutes, academic institutions, testing houses and user agencies.

What are your chapter’s key activities?
Our Chapter promotes the application of geosynthetics for various developmental activities in the fields of water resources, hydroelectric power, roads, coastal protection, slope stabilization and so on. We do this through workshops, seminars and webinars, across the country.

Do you have a youth section? Tell us a bit about the initiatives available for younger members.
We encourage student members to join the Chapter by inviting their participation in geosynthetic events and circulating technical journals through the relevant universities or institutions. We have less than 100 young members at the moment but we are focused on growing this number.

What are you proud of in the chapter?
The activities of the Indian Chapter are really noteworthy and a matter of pride. From its inception it has been promoting the application of geosynthetics for various developmental activities in the field of water resources, hydroelectric power, roads, coastal protection, slope stabilization and so on. Many case studies were compiled in ‘History of Geosynthetics in India – Case Studies’. This was jointly published by IGS India and the Central Board of Irrigation and Power (the Secretariat of IGS India) for the 6th Asian Regional Conference on Geosynthetics in New Delhi in November 2016.

The Indian Chapter also had the honor of hosting the first Asian Regional Conference on Geosynthetics in 1997 in Bangalore. We also enjoyed celebrating our Silver Jubilee in October 2013 in New Delhi. And in 2016 we hosted the Sixth Asian Regional Conference on Geosynthetics in New Delhi.

IGS India members have been awarded the IGS Student Paper Award over previous years. They include:
Dr. J.P. Sampath Kumar, National Institute of Fashion Technology, Hyderabad

Dr. K. Ramu, JNTU College of Engineering, Kakinada

S. Jayalekshmi, National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli

Dr. Mahuya Ghosh, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi

Dr. S. Rajesh, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur

Suresh Kumar S., Department of Textile Technology, and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar National Institute of Technology Jalandhar

Dr. Riya Bhowmik, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, has been selected by the Indian Chapter for the IGS Student Paper Award 2021 to be presented during 7th Asian Regional Conference on Geosynthetics in Taiwan, In April 2022.

Publications are important to your chapter. Please share some of the most significant ones.

Absolutely. Some of the important publications brought out by our chapter, in addition to proceedings from our workshops, short courses, conferences and seminars, include:
Use of Geosynthetics – Indian Experiences and Potential – A State of Art Report (1989)

Use of Geotextile in Water Resources Projects – Case Studies (1992)

Directory of Geosynthetics in India

An Introduction to Geotextiles and Related Products in Civil Engineering Applications (1994)

Ground Improvement with Geosynthetics (1995)

Geosynthetics in Dam Engineering (1995)

Erosion Control with Geosynthetics (1995)

Bibliography – The Indian Contribution to Geosynthetics (1997)

Waste Containment with Geosynthetics (1998)

Geosynthetics – Recent Developments (Commemorative Volume) (2006)

Geosynthetic Reinforced Soil Structures – Design & Construction (2012)

Applications of Geosynthetics in Railway Track Structures (2013)

Three Decades of Geosynthetics in India – A Commemorative Volume (2015)

History of Geosynthetics in India – Case Studies (2016)

Coir Geotextiles (Coir Bhoovastra) for Sustainable Infrastructure (2016)

Geosynthetics Testing – A Laboratory Manual (2019)

We have also published the Indian Journal of Geosynthetics and Ground Improvement (IJGGI) since January 2012 and it is available twice a year (January – June and July-December) in both print and online. The aim is to provide the latest information about developments taking place in the relevant field of geosynthetics to improve communication and understanding among designers, manufacturers and users and especially between the textile and civil engineering communities.

In all, the India Chapter has really contributed a lot to the field of geosynthetics and has enormous potential to do much more. It really is a matter of pride.

Tell us a bit about the geosynthetics market in India. What is the level of understanding and adoption of geosynthetics? 
Understanding and adoption are both improving with time. Complex applications are underway and many such projects are upcoming such as energy dissipation mechanisms in dams, the repair of concrete dams, and harbor structures.