Soil Stabilisation at Svamitva Group

How a conversation reshaped how we build stronger, more sustainable roads

1. A Conversation That Sparked a Shift

Some of the most powerful changes don’t begin in conference rooms or on CAD drawings—they begin with honest questions.

When I sat down with the Svamitva Group team for what we thought would be a typical project discussion, Mahaveer Mehta, the MD, asked:

“Sourabh, how can we make our roads stronger—but more sustainable?”

This wasn’t just a design brief. It was a mindset shift.

And when I asked him, “Why are you bothered about sustainability?” his answer was as simple as it was profound:

“Because that is the right thing to do.”

That one sentence became the foundation of everything that followed.

2. The Status Quo: What Most Roads Still Look Like

Before we dive into what we did differently, let’s quickly talk about how most internal roads are built:

Typical Construction Approach

GSB (Granular Sub-Base) – Layer 1 (approx. 200mm thick)
WMM (Wet Mix Macadam) – Layer 2 (approx. 200mm thick)
Top Layer – Paved with bitumen or blocks

This method works structurally but comes with issues:

Consumes large volumes of virgin aggregates
Requires material to be transported from quarries
Has high embodied carbon emissions
Doesn’t consider the natural strength of existing soil

The cost isn’t just monetary—it’s environmental

3. Doing It Differently: Our Redesign Philosophy

For Svamitva, we wanted to achieve something better. So, we started where every meaningful solution should begin:

Know Your Ground: Start with Soil Testing

We conducted deep tests on-site to understand the true characteristics of the soil:

CBR (California Bearing Ratio)
Atterberg Limits
Soil gradation and moisture levels

The data showed us that the existing soil had great potential—if we treated it right.

4. The New Road Design: Stronger with Less

Armed with our soil data, we moved away from the traditional layers and created something far more thoughtful:

The EcoPath Design for Svamitva Roads

Layer 1: 125mm of on-site soil + bio-enzyme + 30% aggregates
Layer 2: Another 125mm of the same mix
Top Layer: Interlocking blocks

That’s a total of 250mm, instead of the 400mm standard—and with no cement or bitumen in the lower layers.

Why This Works

Enzyme stabilisation improves binding without the need for cement
30% aggregates reduce cost and carbon footprint
Less depth = less excavation
Better compatibility with the land

5. Numbers That Matter: Environmental Impact

One of the most powerful outcomes of this approach is the CO₂ saved—not just through the materials used, but the materials we didn’t use.

Impact Snapshot

CO₂ Saved per 1,000 sq.m: 4+ tonnes
Aggregates Saved: ~35%
Cement/Bitumen Usage: Zero in the base layers
Water Consumption: Reduced by ~25% due to lesser compaction cycles

These aren’t just numbers—they represent land preserved, resources respected, and futures safeguarded.

6. Building with the Right Mindset

While the technical win was evident, what made this project deeply meaningful was something else: the people behind it.

Mahaveer Mehta and the Svamitva team didn’t ask for a sustainable solution to follow a trend.
They asked because they genuinely believed it was the right thing to do.

That changed everything.

No shortcuts.
No compromises.
Just alignment of values between developer and builder.

7. Rethinking Road Engineering for the Future

At EcoPath, we’ve now made a quiet resolution:

Every project begins with soil testing.
Every design must respect what the land already offers.
Every road must be engineered not just for performance—but for purpose.

We believe that if we start with questions that matter, we’ll always find answers that lead to more conscious construction.

8. Gratitude and Takeaways

This road may stretch across only a few hundred metres—but the ripple effect of its message goes far.

We’re deeply grateful to Svamitva Group for:

Trusting us with an open-ended question
Choosing values over shortcuts
Allowing innovation where it mattered most

9. Final Thoughts

This journey with Svamitva reminded us that the future of infrastructure doesn’t lie in better materials alone—it lies in better thinking.

And often, it all begins with a single question:

“Can we do this better?”

The answer, when backed by values and vision, is always yes.

Let’s keep asking those questions.
Let’s keep building the kind of world we’re proud to pass down.