Railway Drainage and Erosion Protection Using GCCM in Wardha, Maharashtra

On a railway project in Wardha, Maharashtra, Ocean Non Wovens supplied 1,160 SQM of Ocean Geosynthetic Cementitious Composite Mat (GCCM) 5 MM to line drainage channels and protect embankment slopes from erosion. Railway corridors take constant vibration from passing trains, and every monsoon sends runoff down their slopes and side drains. Unlined drains along a track scour, silt up and lose capacity, and the water they fail to carry ends up softening the formation.

Project overview

Project Name: Railway Project

Location: Wardha, Maharashtra

Product Supplied: Ocean Geosynthetic Cementitious Composite Mat (GCCM) 5 MM

Quantity Used: 1,160 SQM

The aim was a durable erosion control layer for drainage channels and embankment slopes exposed to heavy rainfall and continuous mechanical stress.

What a GCCM is

A GCCM is a flexible fabric mat holding a dry cementitious mix, usually with an impermeable polymer backing on the underside. It is laid dry like a roll of carpet, shaped to the ground, then wetted. Once hydrated, the cement sets into a thin, fibre-reinforced concrete layer that stays bonded to the backing. The 5 MM grade refers to the mat thickness. ASTM D8364 is the material specification for GCCMs.

Conventional cast-in-place concrete lining needs formwork, mixing or ready-mix supply, and days of curing. A GCCM needs none of these, so it can be placed faster with a smaller crew, which suits work next to a running line where track possessions are short. On railway projects GCCM is used for:

• Drainage channel lining
• Slope and embankment protection
• Culvert lining
• Erosion control around bridge foundations

Site conditions in Wardha

Wardha is in the Vidarbha region of central India. Most of its annual rainfall, roughly 1,000 to 1,100 mm, arrives between June and September in intense spells. Much of the district sits on black cotton soil weathered from Deccan basalt, which loses strength when wet and erodes easily in unlined drains. The project faced three linked problems:

• Soil erosion during the monsoon
• Subgrade instability caused by water infiltration
• Difficulty keeping drainage channels clear and in shape

Without a lining, channels like these degrade quickly: the bed and sides scour, sediment builds up, and flow capacity drops. A hard GCCM lining keeps the channel section and lets water run off fast instead of soaking into the formation.

Installation and quality control

The key installation steps were:

• Subgrade preparation so the mat sits in full contact with the ground
• Anchoring the mat along edges and slopes
• Hydrating the cement layer by water spraying

Quality control covered overlap inspection, confirming full hydration, and monitoring curing conditions. In typical practice the upstream sheet overlaps the downstream one so water flows over the joint rather than into it, and the top edge is buried in an anchor trench. Under-wetting is the most common fault: dry pockets of cement never set and leave weak spots, while poor anchoring lets flow get under the mat.

Long-term performance and maintenance

Once set, a GCCM lining resists hydraulic erosion, is UV-stable, and resists cracking because of its fibre reinforcement. Properly installed, it can keep its integrity for decades. Compared with conventional concrete lining, GCCM-lined channels need less repair, and the main routine task is clearing silt and vegetation from the channel.

Other geosynthetics used on railways

• Reinforcement: geogrids distribute loads and reduce deformation under heavy rail traffic.
• Separation: geotextiles keep weak soil from mixing with ballast and blanket material.
• Erosion control: erosion mats protect slopes from rainfall-induced erosion.
• Drainage: geocomposites carry subsurface water away from beneath the track.
• Environmental protection: geomembranes prevent contamination from railway maintenance yards.

Ocean Non Wovens manufactures and supplies geosynthetics for infrastructure projects across India, including GCCM for drain lining and slope protection.