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West Asia war slows bitumen supply, stalls road repairs in Ludhiana
Several roads across the city were excavated for laying pipelines under the ambitious project aimed at supplying canal water to residents from the Sidhwan Canal
Traffic congestion has worsened on several Ludhiana roads as blacktopping of stretches dug up for the canal-based water supply project has been delayed due to a shortage of bitumen, a key road-laying material, with officials linking the disruption to the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
Several roads across the city were excavated for laying pipelines under the ambitious project aimed at supplying canal water to residents from the Sidhwan Canal. While the contractor is required to restore roads to their original condition after the work, many damaged stretches continue to remain without resurfacing, slowing traffic movement and causing jams on busy routes.
Project officials said the shortage of bitumen has hampered blacktopping work.
“The war in West Asia has disrupted bitumen supply. We are not able to source enough material to carry out blacktopping on roads damaged during pipe laying. We can begin resurfacing once supplies are restored,” said Amir Kalpataru, project manager with Kalpataru Projects International Limited, the firm executing the project.
Bitumen, used as a binder in road construction, is a byproduct obtained during the refining of heavy crude oil. India depends significantly on imports from West Asia for crude supplies. According to reports, the Middle East accounted for around 55% of India’s crude imports till January.
The canal-based water supply project is one of Ludhiana’s key infrastructure schemes and aims to provide potable water across the city through a new distribution network sourced from the Sidhwan Canal.
Its major components include a 580 MLD water treatment plant at Bilga village near Sahnewal, overhead reservoirs and a 165-km-long pipeline network being laid across the city.
The first phase of the project is being implemented at an estimated cost of ₹1,300 crore with joint funding from the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB).
Officially launched on February 25, 2025, Phase I is scheduled to be completed by February 25, 2028.
