Condoms in India.

One for the road
August 9, 2004

About 20 to 25 per cent of condoms manufactured in India are used for sexual activity and the rest are used to waterproof roads, roofs, and polish gold embroidered garments, according to a recent study.

The report, prepared by Professor Ramakant of King George's Medical University of Lucknow, capital of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, says 75 to 80 per cent of condoms produced annually are used for commercial purposes, the Asian Age newspaper reported.

In urban areas, condoms are purchased in bulk by civil contractors and mixed with concrete and tar to make roads. The latex in the condoms helps make the roads smooth and resistant to cracks, the report says.

Similarly, builders spread condoms on the layer that lies beneath the cement plaster on roofs and as heat penetrates they expand to form a waterproof layer that prevents seepage.

Condoms are also used in large quantities by manufacturers of gold embroidered saris, the garments worn by Indian women. Workers use the lubricated condoms to polish the gold embroidery. Earlier, the workers used wax which had to melted first and was cumbersome to use in winter when it turned lumpish in seconds. "Since we started using condoms three years ago, polishing has become easier and the finish is better and lasts longer," a worker in Lucknow was quoted as saying.

Ramakant's report lists various uses of the condom in rural India. "In some places, we found condoms were used to carry water when people went to answer nature's call in the open. In several places, we found children blowing them up as balloons."

The report, which was presented at an international medical conference in Bangkok recently, says a bulk of these condoms were meant for free distribution by non-governmental organisations as a part of India's attempts to control population and the spread of HIV/AIDS.

DPA