Africa-Press – Tanzania. AT least 40 youth in Bukoba Municipality have benefitted from the training on Cold Mix Asphalt Technique (CMA) technology, which will enable them to professionally participate in various road construction projects.
The training was organized by the StarPeco Company Limited with its Director, Engineer Gratian Nshekanabo telling participants that the newly introduced technology is in place just to cut-off road construction costs, environmental conservation, time saving and little expertise, among other benefits, compared to traditional Hot-mix Asphalt Technique (HMA) technology.
He told the participants that when bitumen emulsions for CMA involve water and some few chemicals, the HMA needs expensive stuff like petroleum solvents and firewood to turn it into liquid.
“Again, CMA can be preserved for a couple of days while HMA should be applied instantly after boiling it because it expires when temperature goes below 100 centigrade,” said the Director, adding that:
CMA preparations involve simple machines such as concrete mixer, hand hoe and other simple working tools unlike HMA which needs special equipment.
Mr Nshekanabo further told participants that CMA is applicable even during small rain drops while the same is dangerous to HMA because even a single raindrop can cause deadly explosion during the boiling process.
“CMA therefore is time consuming since the boiling stage depends on weather conditions,” he said.
A workshop participant, Mr Peter Isaya, commented that the training will not only help them grab temporary jobs but also employ themselves since the CMA involves simple tools and little expertise.
“The challenge is lack of investment capital but I see the need to form groups for easy access to municipal council’s loans, as we have been advised here,” he said.
The Tanzania Rural and Urban Roads Agency (Tarura) Regional Coordinator, Engineer Avith Theodory said the agency is conducting pilot studies to assess its efficiency.
“If proved efficient, the new technology will play an important role in cutting down construction cost and time saving,” he said.
According to him, initial piloting results showed relief in cost reduction since a single square metre of road cost only 30,000/- when using CMA technology compared to between 60,000/- and 70,000/- when HMA technology is applied.
“But most importantly, CMA will be helpful in fixing road patches within 48 hours as per legal requirement. That is where time saving comes in,” he said.
