Assessment of carbon footprint in routine maintenance work of state road in Perak

Abstract

Although sustainability focus was set majorly on construction, operation and maintenance sector must also take into account the same consideration in every activity involved. Operation and maintenance phases involve significant resources for it to remain serviceable throughout its life cycle. These resources use energy that release emission and later contribute to the rise of earth temperature that sparks concern on climate change and global warming. Thus, showed that assessment of carbon dioxide activities that contributed to global warming on these vast road networks are significant. Even though rating tools like pHJKR developed for sustainability rating, this rating tool is not until the operational and maintenance phase. Therefore, sustainability assessment not being executed during this phase and also for carbon emission specifically. Main objectives of this study are to assess or evaluate the activities involved in one of the road maintenance activity, which is routine maintenance. The study conducted focused on the stretch of state road in Perak consisted of 2,102.78km in length according to assessment boundaries set-up to identified sources of carbon emission in seven routine maintenance activities and administration part. The study conducted focused on the data gathered during assessment in various activities involved in the source of emissions. Types of data involved are the quantity of resources used in the activity then later calculated with appropriate emission factors for determination of carbon footprint produced in the routine works. Results showed the amount of carbon emission produced in the routine maintenance activities for every district involved during the operational (on-site activities) and also at the administration side (water, electrical and commuting).