The upcoming infrastructure projects in India are signs of optimism for zinc markets to grow in the next decade, said Amrita Singh, Director of Sales and Marketing, Vedanta Resources Ltd, in a webinar on Wednesday. Galvanizing provides anti-corrosive properties to steel and it becomes one of the strongest construction materials, she added.
India loses about 5-7pc of GDP owing to corrosion said Rahul Sharma, Director of International Zinc Association (IZA).
The industry experts stressed on the need for using rebars galvanised with zinc in the construction sector. Singh said with the right mandates and pricing, continuous galvanized rebars can provide strength to structures. Sharma stressed on the fact that galvanized steel has higher durability.
Continuous galvanized rebars add to a structure’s life span and saves cost compared to other corrosion resistant rebars, Sharma said.
Due to the pandemic, galvanizing orders reduced as infrastructure progress halted in several states. However, the infrastructure and construction planned for the future — expected to resume once the pandemic is under control and lockdown is lifted — will play a huge role for zinc and it’s consumption should see an upsurge in the coming years, Singh said. Indian Railways has already started using zinc-coated rails in a bid to increase strength of rails.