Metalled and unmetalled roads
Topic: World Transport and Communication · NCERT: Class 12, Ch 7 "Transport and Communication"
Meaning
Metalled roads have a hard surface of stone, bitumen (tar) or concrete. Because of this surface, they can be used in all seasons. Unmetalled roads, also called kutcha roads, are made of earth or mud. They are simple and cheap to build, but become unusable in the rainy season. Floods and heavy rain can damage even metalled roads. The share of metalled roads tells us how reliable a region's road network is.
Example
In the Ganga plains of Bihar, many village roads are kutcha. In the monsoon they turn to deep mud, and vehicles cannot use them. A metalled highway nearby stays open all year.
Don't confuse with
- Highway: a highway is a metalled road linking distant places, with separate lanes, bridges and flyovers so traffic can move without stopping. Not every metalled road is a highway.