The Advantage and Disadvantages of Porous Driveway

The citizens of metro-city dwellers, are highly inclined to elevate their standard of living. It’s quite natural that they prefer to live in high-rising building with multidimensional facilities such as swimming pools, a multi-gym establishment, a golf course, elevators and surveillance camera services. Rightfully, they are also concerned about the maintenance of their housing complex. As a result, permeable pavement or porous driveway thus, has become quite popular and fashionable among the consumers. Constructing permeable pavements to solve this problem however has been entrusted to the builders and the dwellers of the multi-storied buildings.  These kinds of pavements are constructed as driveways, sideways, and parking lots that are slick, porous, green and stylish. They mostly are made of either pervious concrete or porous asphalt.

Porous Driveway

Such medium makes the filtration of water easy accessible. They basically reduce the surface runoff and filter the suspended solids mingled with the water by entrapping them. Sometimes porous turf or plastic concretes are also used to make the pavements ostentatious and showy. The presence of porous driveways also takes care the environmental issue, which has become a major concern to the new generation. Hence, the advantages of using porous driveway can be discussed in detail.

Advantages of Using Porous Driveways

• Reduce run-off – Permeable pavements or porous driveways are extremely effective in reducing run-off water during heavy showers in rainy seasons. They never allow stagnation of water and wiped away the excess water through the pores present in them. They competently resolve the problem of erosion or siltation that is likely to happen in impermeable pavements. As discussed earlier, they are equally proficient in filtration by trapping suspended solids. They are also good in controlling dryness of grasses in arid season and downstream flooding during monsoons.
• Carry heavy loads- Most of the housing complexes or corporate MNC’S have parking lots. Porous driveway can easily bear the weight of the two-wheelers as well the four-wheelers. They aptly carry the hefty load of the wheels and save both the car and the driveway from abrasion and any fatal damage.
• Eco –friendly- The pores that bear the runoff water is extremely nutritious for the growth of urban trees. It provides profuse air and water in which the trees can thrive with exuberance. It creates a verdant look in the surrounding. 

No rose is without a thorn, however- so says the proverb. Similarly, there are certain disadvantages in constructing porous driveway. 

• Cost –Though these pave ways results a gaiety, lush green look to the buildings, sometimes the grid or the gravels might block the pores and create hindrance. The entrapping of solids can also block the pervious entries of the driveways. As a result, regular and long-term maintenance is necessary. This invariably will entail a hefty amount of money in due time.  The residents may be hesitant to pay such lofty cost to maintain the porous driveway.
• Risk of pollution- It has turned to be a great debatable issue whether such ways are eco –friendly or not. These driveways result the growth of urban trees which gives an effect of green, but sometimes it’s become difficult to manage the huge runoffs that are stored in the permeable driveways. The fuel emitting from vehicles, slits, or the pollutant load they bear may cause ground-water contamination especially in winters. 

Along with that the issue of efflorescence, a phenomenon that creates slippery grounds or corrosion of cements, porous driveways can worsen the situation. It is advisable to construct porous driveways by estimating its consequences.