UTTARAKHAND DISASTER RECOVERY PROJECTInternational Symposiumon Tackling the Challenges
of Slope Stabilization andLandslide Prevention
ReportGovernment of Uttarakhand
Supported and co-sponsored by the World Bank and Japan
International Cooperation Agency

2015

1

www.ukdisasterrecovery.org

Programme Management Unit
Uttarakhand Disaster Recovery Project
29 IIE (I.T. Park)
SIDCUL Building, Ground Floor
Sahastradhara Road
Dehradun, 248001
Ph: +91 1352708370
www.ukdisasterrecovery.org

This report was published in July 2015

PREFACE
The State of Uttarakhand is often called “Dev Bhoomi”, literally meaning abode of Gods.
Uttarakhand is known for its scenic beauty, the lofty snow clad peaks of the Great Himalayas, glaciers,
waterfalls, lush green meadows (Bugyals), valley of flowers, perennial streams, dense alpine forests
and rare species of fauna and flora. Our State is blessed to be the source of the mighty Ganga andYamuna that not only quench the thirst of millions of people but are also a symbol of spirituality andthe Mother Goddess. We are also home to the shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, Yamunotrithat draw thousands of pilgrims and tourists from across the world.
One of the youngest States in India, Uttarakhand is still struggling to find its way to thrive on
its own resources. As mountains and forests cover a major part of the State, this poses some obvious
challenges to the developers and planners. Pilgrimage to the four holy Shrines and nature tourism are
one of the main sources of revenue generation for the State economy and better road connectivity is aprerequisite for harnessing the potential of the tourism sector. Moreover, improvement of the existing
infrastructure facilities like roads, bridges and tunnels is needed for ushering and extending thebenefits of basic amenities of health, education and development to the far flung areas. Construction of
new roads and highways in Uttarakhand is also crucial from the perspective of security and safety ofthe border areas considering the strategic location of the State with respect to the internationalboundaries it shares with China (Tibet) and Nepal.
Fragile geological disposition, high level of seismic sensitivity and maintaining the rare andprecious biological/ecological diversity are some cardinal issues that have to be borne in mind whilepursuing any developmental activities in this State. Frequent occurrence of natural disasters likeearthquakes, flash floods, GLOF and forest fires make the cutting of roads and maintaining them, adaunting task for the State machinery. The landslides caused by these disasters further aggravate oursituation and make relief and rescue extremely challenging. Studies have shown that scientific studies
about Himalayas show that there is an average of two landslides per square kilometre in this region.
The National Highways, especially NH58, is damaged every year at several locations thus affecting
transportation of people and basic goods and services. The loss of human lives and monetary losses
have increased over the years, with increase in population and tourism activities in Uttarakhand.
Several attempts have been made to contain the damage caused by these landslides but the results havenot been as expected. This makes the government’s job of ensuring the welfare of the people
extremely challenging.

Post the June 2013 disaster, the State machinery has realized that we not only need to rebuild,
but build better. This philosophy has formed the basis of the reconstruction efforts. We are not justrebuilding roads but innovating on the way this was done in the past. We are using better technology
to build bridges that will be able to stand the impact of most disasters. Houses being constructed under
the Uttarakhand Disaster Recovery Project not only include disaster resilient features but are also
located at sites that are geologically safe; something that has never been done in this State before. In
order to be prepared for future vagaries of nature, and predict disasters with more accuracy a separate
Project Implementation Unit (PMU) for Capacity building, Disaster Risk Management and Early
Warning System has been constituted. This unit is working to enhance the capability of government
entities and others in risk mitigation and response.
Slope stabilization in particular remains to be an issue that needs to be widely discussed andtechnically understood. We also would like to understand how these landslides could be predicted intime to minimize loss of life and property. We have identified 43 chronic landslide zones that need to
be treated. Varunavat landslide has already been successfully treated and stands as evidence to ourefforts. But we want to understand the policies and best practices from around the world that will help
us to formulate strategy and draft policies relevant to our State’s fragile ecosystem. We need to havetechnologies available at hand for stabilization of chronic and recurring landslides such as Sirobagad,
Sakni Dhar and Lambagad.
With this vision, “International Symposium on Slope Stabilization and Landslide Reduction”
was organized by the Government of Uttarakhand led Uttarakhand Disaster Recovery Project. The
event was co-sponsored and supported by Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and theWorld Bank (WB). This symposium provided a forum for experts from around the world to share theexisting knowledge and experience, get acquainted with the latest stabilization techniques being
practiced in India, South-East Asia and in other parts of the world and brainstorm on the situation in
Uttarakhand.
The esteemed panel of participants brought with them a wealth of knowledge and experience,
which made the symposium extremely engaging. The discussions held after each session saw active
participation from not just the technical experts but also the bureaucracy.
I would like to thank all participants for taking time to understand the unique problems posedby our geographical and topographical conditions and propose solutions that can guide our future
policy towards slope stabilization. I also wish to thank the World Bank and Japan International

TABLE OF CONTENTSTABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................................. 6
1.0 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................... 2
2.0 OBJECTIVES .......................................................................................................................................................... 3
3.0 PROCEEDINGS ...................................................................................................................................................... 4
4.0 OUTCOMES ........................................................................................................................................................ 18
Annexure A: Abstracts ............................................................................................................................................. 25
Annexure B: Participants ......................................................................................................................................... 59
Annexure C: Program Schedule ............................................................................................................................... 64
Annexure D: Field Visit Description ......................................................................................................................... 69
Annexure E: Symposium Photographs .................................................................................................................... 73

1.0 INTRODUCTION
The State of Uttarakhand has a vast area, almost 86 percent of which is mountainous, including
the Himalayan region. The State shares its International boundaries with China (Tibet) and Nepal innorth and east directions respectively and with States of Himachal Pradesh in the west, and Uttar
Pradesh in the South. The newly formed State has constraints related to socio-economic development
and strategic needs that have resulted in the launching of massive road network, infrastructuredevelopment and related activities in the hilly region. Since the inception of the State these activities
have increased manifold.
The hilly regions of the State exhibit extremes of climatic conditions, difficult and hazardous
terrain, topography and high altitude areas. Most of the area of Uttarakhand is sparsely populated andbasic infrastructure facilities as compared to the more developed areas of other States of hinterland are
generally absent. The roads in this State are generally affected by landslides and flashfloods
consequent to torrential rainfall besides the snowfall and avalanche etc., compelling certain roads to be
kept closed, especially in the monsoons and winter months. The highlands of the State are rich innatural resources, flora and fauna and are important for the launching of developmental projects,
industries, tourism etc., for which road network is a basic need.
Recently the State has been badly affected by natural disasters, especially by the intense andprolonged rainfall followed by cloud bursts and Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) in higher
regions rendering in debris loaded flash floods resulting in toe erosion of hill slopes, erosion of riverbanks and landslides blocking road networks. Certain stretches of roads were washed out either due totoe erosion, riverbank erosion or due to sliding from the slopes. River bank erosion inflicted havoc on
the human habitations in some of the flourishing townships like Uttarkashi, Sumari, Silli, Vijaynagar,
Chandrapuri and Madkot. The damaged and blocked road network following the floods and landslides
fettered the relief and rescue operations to a great extent.
In view of these diverse problems due to natural calamities in the area and the ever felt need ofdeveloping better infrastructural facilities for this nascent State, the necessity of preparing a long termscientific, holistic and sustainable programme for stabilization of the chronic landslides on various
roads, the Government of Uttarakhand in association with The World Bank and Japan International
Corporation Agency (JICA) organized an International Symposium “On Tackling the challenges ofslope stabilization and landslide prevention” at Dehradun from 27-04-2015 to 29-04-2015.

The noted experts in the relevant fields from all over the world were invited to share theirexperiences and make the stakeholders aware of the modern techniques in slope stabilization. The
following experts (Annexure-B) participated in this symposium and presented valuable, sustainable
and economic solutions, which will be of much use in the field of slope stabilization.

2.0 OBJECTIVESThe International Symposium was organized with the following objectives:

Bring the experts of international repute on a single platform to debate on the challenges
related to the landslides problems as they are being faced and tackled worldwide and thenassess the scenario in Uttarakhand.



Field visit to the two chronic landslide zones, i.e. Sirobagar and Sakhnidhar Landslides, which
frequently disrupt the National Highway -58, and hold on site discussions followed by brain
storming session with the view of coming up with cost effective sustainable stabilization
measures or to suggest other viable alternatives.



Make the Govt. Departments and stakeholders familiar with the modern landslide stabilization
techniques through technical sessions.

Capacity Building of the stake holders including the Government Departments like Public
Works Department (PWD), Disaster Mitigation and Management Center (DMMC),
Uttarakhand Space Application Center (USAC), Geology and Mining Department and local
administration.

To develop a precise framework of planning, execution of plan and monitoring during theexecution process as well as post execution to tackle the challenges of landslide mitigation,
prevention and stabilization.

3.0 PROCEEDINGS
3.1 Session-1: Discussion on the Field Visit and Observation
Chairman: Prof Yudhbir, Eminent Geotechnical Engineer, Dehradun
Moderator: Dr Yuka Makino, World Bank, Tokyo
Rapporteur: Dr. Kishore Kumar, CRRI, Delhi

Session report:
This session was dedicated to discussion on the field visit to Sirobagar and Saknidhar landslide
zones. Three presentations dealing with landslide investigations and mitigation strategies were also
made. Prof. Yudhbir, through his presentation has made very important points about predication oflandslide hazard and on proper and detailed investigations of the landslide problems. He focused onlack of detailed geological, geomorphologic & topographic investigations. Prof. Yudhbir alsoemphasized on responsibility and accountability of the agencies/institutions/individuals has to be fixedin absence of which the dilution in seriousness of professional work is obvious. Mr. Rajendra Bhasinfrom Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) Norway talked on "Application of Ground Penetrating
Radar (GPR)” and referred to non destructive technique of subsurface investigation which is very
useful in areas, where destructive method may prove counterproductive. He also shared successful
examples of application of GPR in India. Mr. Frode Sandersen from NGI Norway through thispresentation on “Landslide Mitigation Strategies with examples” focused on risk from a landslide andexplained details on the landslide process. He also described landslide mitigation strategies with somegood examples.
In continuation of above, there was a discussion on Kaliasaur (Sirobagar) landslide. Prof. Yudhbir
commented that no reports of the work done on Kaliasaur (Sirobagar) landslide are in public domain.
As all participants had observations from the previous day, various opinions emerged in this
discussion. Dr. Kishore Kumar from Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) gave participants aninsight on the work carried out by CSIR-CRRI and CBRI on Kaliasaur. Dr. Garcia Lopez from
National University of Colombia also put forward his views on how to prevent Kaliasaur landslide. He
broadly agreed with the views of Dr. Kishore Kumar that the landslide gets activated from upper part
during rains; thereby pointing to the need of effective drainage measures.
Mr. Amitabh Sharan suggested the following solution to the Kaliasaur (Sirobagar) landslide:

Topographical Survey on 1: 500 scales with contour interval of 2 m covering area at least
100m above from crown portion and 100-100m both side from the side of the existinglandslide.

Surface Geological Mapping to be carried out on 1: 500 scales on same area, capturing also thecracks / creep in the zone above the crown; water condition if observed on the surface; rocktype and its contact zones & the joint parameters, its opening, infilling etc.

Installation of Multi Point Borehole Extensometer (MPBX) at different points at different
levels to monitor the ground movement.

Instead of MPBX, easy way to monitor the

movement is installation of some target at different points at different levels and it should bemonitored by “total station” regularly & religiously. The data collected to be analyzed.
Procure a regional geological map (1:50000 / 1:25000) of the area from GSI to analyze thefield geological conditions with reference to regional geological setups.

Below is the treatment suggested in general, to which further details will be added or modifications
made after getting the above information.
As the toe scouring is going on at river water level, the toe support is essentially required.
However, it is practically difficult as the water level is maintained at certain point due to thereservoir of the lower dam. Still methodology can be explored to create a concrete RCC wall
resting on the rock foundation and extended laterally beside the slide zone. If required it should
be anchored with firm rock band on both sides and in between. The RCC wall slightly curved
in shape with convexity towards hill side. The wall height may be up to 12 -15 m with a bench
in between. There should be drainage holes provided at every 2 m centre to centre in the valley
face of the wall. Back side of the wall will be filled with fine sand, pebbles & boulders. It
should be properly compacted with rolling layer by layer. This will provide ample space forwidening of highways and protection from subsidence.

The loose material resting on the face and at the crown of the slide should be manually
removed slowly with proper precautions under supervision. If any cracks at crown and face areobserved, gout mix (Cement-Sand-water mix) to be pumped with very low pressure (pressure
should decided after site inspection and investigation as above.). The grouting should beplanned in such a way that all the loose mass hardens and become monolithic. If required,anchoring should also be planned.

At road level, well designed circular shaped water catchment drainage will be required tocapture the surface flow of water. These drainage systems will be connected by someunderground canal system and will be connected to the drainage holes in the RCC wall below
the road level.

Two layers of flexible crate wall to be placed between road and the slide.

The entire slide face will be covered by geo textile & bio turfs.

3.2 Session-2: Landslide Risk Assessment and Early Warning System
Chairman: Professor Satyendra Mittal, IIT, Roorkee
Moderator: Dr Yuka Makino, World Bank, Tokyo
Rapporteur: Dr. Ajay Kumar Naithani, NIRM, Bangalore

Session report:
The session on ’Landslide Risk Assessment and Early Warning System’ had six presentations
dealing with early warning systems in landslide impact mitigation. The very first presentation by Ms.
Reiko Abe was focused on “On Site Visualization (OSV) system”. She described about how an OSV
System can be used at potential landslide site areas. The cost effectiveness of this system was also
discussed. Dr. P.K. Champati Ray from IIRS Dehradun, in his presentation, talked about how remotesensing applications should be increased to identify potential landslide sites. For this, training andcapacity building of personnel is required. He described that how IIRS Dehradun can play animportant role on this aspect. Dr. Pankaj Jaiswal from Geological Survey of India (GSI) emphasizedon the need for development of a model on the relationship between rainfall and probability oflandslide. This model should be developed for different areas specifically. He suggested that toinclude catchment area parameter also in mathematical model. Mr. Jaiswal also emphasized that local
people should be trained to read rain gauge, executing an evacuation plan and conveying criticalinformation to the civil authorities. Dr. Vikram Gupta, Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology(WIHG), Dehradun presented his work focusing on studying typical rain triggered landslides vis-à-vis
long duration daily rainfall data of the area. The study is based on the assumptions that there is a direct
correlation between the occurrence of landslides and the quantity of rainfall, intensity and duration of
the rainstorm events. Prof C.C. Pant from Kumaon University, Nainital discussed the problems of
instability in Nainital and suggested preventive / corrective measures. In his presentation he advisedthat extensive drainage should be provided at and around landslide prone areas. As far as possible,
concrete channels should be made so that water does not infiltrate into the ground. The lastpresentation of this session was made by Mr. Ashish Gharpure from Maccaferri Environmental
Solutions Pvt. Ltd. He shared some modern tools like wire mesh, gabion walls, soil nailing,debris/mud flow barriers utilized for landslide prevention. He also talked about bio-engineering
methods are also effective in landslide mitigation.

3.3 Session-3: Slope Stabilization Methods/Technologies used in India
Chairman: Dr V.K.Sharma, Director, GSI
Moderator: Dr Yuka Makino, World Bank, Tokyo
Rapporteur: Dr. Vikram Gupta, WIHG

Session report:
The session on ’Slope Stabilization Methods/Technologies used in India’ comprised of sevenpresentations dealing with contemporary techniques of landslide prevention. Prof. Chandan Ghosh of
National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), in his presentation highlighted that simple
solutions such as proper drainage measures cost hardly anything but are effective ways of preventionof landslides. Whereas hefty retaining walls or counterfeit retaining walls without proper engineering
are neither practical nor effective solutions. He stressed on adopt a technique that reduces weight on
the slope. The bioengineering methods especially the use of ‘Vetiver grass’ was proposed to be
applied on landslides. Shri. Harish Bahuguna from Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam (UJVNL) gave pan
India glimpse of landslides and enumerated various techniques such as geo webs, geo-grids, geotextiles etc. available in India to deal with landslides. He also shared case studies where geo-grids, soil
nails, fence, timber piling were employed to contain slope failures. Prof. S.K. Sharma, IIT-BHU dealt
with issues of acoustic fluidization and rapid reduction in’ c’ and ‘phi’ in presence of water due tosudden build up of stress coupled with newer “orogeny” that have unbalanced stresses, as reason formass rock failures. He attributed slope failures to reasons such as adopting a steeper pit slope angle
than appropriate, presence of water and effective measures not taken to deal with it, under-cutting ofrock mass and presence of geological disturbances. He also advised application of ‘Ram bans’ (a local
plant species) to deal with slides and stressed research to assess the strength of the plant roots. Dr A.K.

Naithani, National Institute of Rock Mechanics (NIRM) highlighted that the stability of rock slopes isoften significantly influenced by the structural geology of the rock in which the slope is excavated.
Discontinuities may only indirectly influence stability where their length is much shorter than theslope dimensions, such as an open pit mine slope where no single discontinuity controls stability. A
case study of a proposed dam site at Pulichintala village of Guntur District, Andhra Pradesh was
discussed and determination of failure modes in rock slopes was done on the basis of the geologicaldiscontinuities. Shri. T.S. Rautela from Tehri Hydro Power Corporation (THDC) presented a casestudy of slope stabilization methods of Varunavrat landslide that occurred in 2003, on the upslope of
Uttarkashi Township. The causes of the mega slide and the host of remedial measures such as
designed benches and berms, anchors, rock bolts, shotcrete and geo-textiles etc. were discussed during
the presentation. The communication tunnel designed to protect the overshooting of rock boulders is aunique phenomenon to prevent the consequences of the landslide hazard. An integrated approach forstabilization was adopted for ‘Varunavrat landslide’ to save the Uttarkashi Township. Mr Jitin
Mukheja of Geobrugg India, gave a presentation on slope stabilization products such as rock fall anddebris flow barriers, drapes, earthquake proof stabilization measures and green solutions forprevention of landslides. Sh. B.D. Patni, Chief (Geology), NHPC Ltd presented various case studies ofhydro projects where landslide protection works were undertaken and slopes were tackled
successfully.

3.4 Session-4: Slope Stabilization Methods/Technologies used in South and SouthEast Asia Region
Chairman: Prof. Chandan Ghosh, NIDM, New Delhi
Moderator: Dr Yuka Makino, World Bank, Tokyo
Rapporteur: Mr. Harish Bahuguna, UJVNL, Dehradun

Session report:
There were seven presentations in this session from the representatives of Govt. Departments,
Institutes and Private agencies on topics ranging from the use of non frame methods, steel slit dams,soil nailing, bioengineering methods and using reinforced earth technology.
The first presentation was made by Takafumi Ishikawa, Nippon Steel, Japan, on ‘Solution
Package for Landslides debris flow by utilizing “Non Frame Methods Steel Slit Dam” introduced inSouth-East Asia’. Objective behind this presentation was to introduce the concept of Non Frame
Methods for stabilizing the slopes. A typical non frame structure consists of three integral parts i.e. I)
steel bars, ii) base plate and iii) wire rope. In this method the steel bars are driven into the strata andbase plates are fixed on the threaded part and the bolts are connected to each other by means of wire
ropes in a grid pattern. The advantage of this method is that it can be implemented without cutting thetrees at the affected site and it can be applied to slopes varying in the inclination from 300 to 600.
Mr. Ishikawa then presented case studies from Bhutan, Taiwan and Japan where slope treatments
are being done using this technique. The unstable slopes are being protected by providing a retaining
structure at the bottom and putting the non frame structures for protecting the surface with or without
using the synthetic membranes.
The case cited from Bhutan is being undertaken as a Cooperative Research Project with anobjective of classifying the slope failures by form; analyze its collapse mechanism, trial and efficiency
check of natural ground reinforcement, data collection on topography and fine-tuning the countermeasure solutions suitable for Bhutan. The project also intends to monitor the data pertaining to soil
moisture, ground water, vegetation change, rain fall and ground movement before and after thetreatment.
In the last segment, the concept behind steel slit dam was presented quoting examples from
Philippines. Steel Structures can be classified into open and closed type by their functions andfeatures. They can be designed to arrest debris type flow or traction load. These structures can be A, B
or T type in shape. Non frame methods can be installed rapidly without disturbing the forest or vegetal
cover; however their use in India and SAARC region is yet to be attempted.
The second presentation in this session was made by Prof. Satyendra Mittal of IIT Roorkee on’Successful Handling of Slope Stabilization and Landslide Prevention through Soil Nailing’. The
objective of this presentation was mainly to elaborate on the success of soil nailing in stabilizing
slopes. Prof. Mittal started the presentation by giving synoptic view of the problem of landslides andits effects followed by a glimpse of the conventional techniques like retaining structures and draping
measures. Citing an example from Dagana, Bhutan, Prof Mittal spoke on the different design
alternatives that included i)Design of Surface Drains, ii) Design of Underground geo-synthetic drain,iii) Design of Bored Cast-in-situ Pile, iv) Reinforced Earth Retaining Wall, v) Soil Nailing, vi) Dry
Reinforced Wall (Pipe Gabions) and vii) Bio-Engineering.

The advantage with nailing is that it intends in-situ stabilization of the soil; it is possible in all
types of soils and is very effective in the case of granular soils. These nails can be driven nails,
grouted nails or pipe nails depending upon the site requirement. Case studies from different sites were
presented. Soil nailing is a well established technique now days and is being practiced widely in India.
The next presentation on ’Introduction of the Project for a Master Plan Study on Road SlopeManagement in Bhutan’ was given by Mr. Masanori Tozawa from JICA. The work carried out by
JICA pertaining to a master plan study on road slopes in Bhutan was presented by Mr. Tozawa. The
Royal Govt. of Bhutan gives very high importance to roads specially the feeder roads and hence formaintaining connectivity, it desired to develop a master plan. In their study, JICA studied a number oflandslides along different highways. The key aspects discussed were the disciplinary management
scheme prevalent in Japan which revolves around the cardinal notions of Risk inspection vis.-a-vis.
proposed countermeasures and preparedness v/s response.
The master plan included four components viz. site inspection, inventory preparation, GIS
database and rendering technical advice. The Japanese have four categories for study and managementof landslides wherein the screening of the area is done through topographical maps followed by site
inspection and field survey. Inventory on GIS is prepared and landslides are ranked as 1, 2 or 3 on thebasis of severity. Regular checks and maintenance form integral part of the master plan. Dr. Shantanu
Sarkar, Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee gave a presentation on Landslide Hazard
Mitigation: Issue and Challenges. This presentation primarily focused on four points i.e. landslide
problems in Himalayas, Hazard and risk assessment, Landslide early warning and Control measures.
It was emphasized that increasing intensity and frequency of rainfall in Himalayas have led toincreased incidences of landslides and with more population growth more so in landslide prone areas
the risk will be more pronounced. Examples of landslides from different parts of Uttarakhand
Himalayas were cited.
The landslide disaster mitigation program should involve identification of possible disastertriggering scenarios, assessment of hazard & possible consequences for the different scenarios, early
warning, recommendation & implementation of specific remedial measure, enforcement of building
codes and good construction practice, proper land use plans and community preparedness andawareness building. A brief account of the concept and methodology of Hazard assessment was given
and zonation maps for different areas were shown. The need for instrumentation and early warning
was highlighted. The instruments for monitoring of surface, subsurface and structural deformations

have also been listed. Case study of ongoing monitoring of Pakhi landslide in Chamoli district of
Uttarakhand, with the help of GPS was cited.
Landslide control would encompass measures like relocating to safer places in order to avoid theslide affected area, grading of the slopes, surface and subsurface draining and reducing the load for
reducing the driving forces, in-situ reinforcement, bioengineering methods and chemical treatments toincrease the internal strength and provision of retaining structures for increasing the resisting forces.
Example of Watwella slide from Sri Lanka was cited where drainage measures were effectively used
for containing the movement. A variety of retaining structures like box wall, crib wall, geogrid wall,and gabion walls were given. For arresting the soil erosion various draping measures were illustrated
and importance of soil nailing was emphasized. The use of timber piles, drum debris diaphragm walland rock shelters was also exhibited. The author finally stressed the need for involvement andawareness of the communities which are living in or close to the slide affected areas.
The next presentation in this session was made by Mr. S. S. Shrimali, Indian Institute of Soil andWater Conservation, Dehradun on ‘Bio-Engineering Treatment of Mass Erosion affected Lands’. It
highlighted the fact that the life of civil structures decreases with the passage of time whereas that ofbioengineering structures increases which is vital for slope protection and soil erosion control
measures. Bioengineering solutions use living plants for engineering purposes or plants incombination with engineering structures for protecting degraded slopes.
These measures are designed to catch the debris, armouring the surface, reinforce the soil, anchor thesurface layer, support the slope and for drainage. These are useful for protecting the bare cut slopes (<0.5 m deep), treatment of landslide/slip zones, gully stabilization, treatment of mined areas, prevent
scour around soil conservation structures and for scour protection around river training structures. The
important bioengineering techniques are planted grass lines, grass seeding, turfing, shrub and tree
planting, shrub and tree seeding, live check dams, wattling, vegetated stone pitching and jute netting.
Case studies of different bioengineering solutions implemented at different sites such as limestone mined area (Bharli Rudhana, Himachal Pradesh), landslide control Project at Nalotanala on
Dehradun-Mussoorie road, minespoil rehabilitation project at Sahastradhara, and torrent reclamation
project at Bainkhala near CSWCRTI Research Farm, Dehradun were cited. It was emphasized thatmass erosion control calls for integrated watershed management plan starting from top to bottom. The
use of different bioengineered structures like crib wall, gabion wall, gabion spurs, and draping such as
geo-jute, mulches etc. were also discussed.

For the treatment of degraded slopes, landslides, torrents and river bank protection the future
course of action should include appraisal and assessment of special erosion problems using modern
tools and techniques (RS, GIS), people’s participatory approaches for the treatment and managementof degraded slopes need to be explored, cost effective bio-engineering measures including plant
species for specific applications need to be identified/evolved, geo-morphological and hydrologicalaspects of special erosion problem areas need to be studied, economical utilization of drainage lines
and profit sharing thereof should be explored and safe and economical designs for torrent control
structures need to evolved along with vegetative measures.
Another presentation in this session was given by Mr. K. Navaneeth Kumar from Garware
Wall Ropes Ltd on ’Intervention Technologies for Landslides, Rockfall Mitigation and Erosion
Control’. This presentation mainly covered aspects on rock fall protection system, Gabion Gravity
Retaining wall, Reinforced soil Wall and Slope system, Erosion control systems and River training
works for roads along the River banks.
The basics of rock fall protection measures using galvanized steel wire rope netting along with
its anchoring were demonstrated. Case studies of rock fall protection works from Konkan railways,
Chattursinghi hills Pune, Sakleshpur from Mysore, Mumbai – Pune expressway and East coast railways Orissa were cited.
The examples of use of gabion wall from Pirangut Pune, Lanjigarh Orissa, and Lavasa
Maharashtra were displayed. It was followed by giving examples of use of steel strip reinforced soil
wall, geogrid reinforced soil wall along with slope facing techniques. Under the slope erosion control
techniques the use of geo mat or mulch mat was discussed and examples from Chitradurga, Vizag,
Talcher (Orissa), Udhampur (Jammu) and Kundli – Manesar (Haryana) were given.
The last segment of this presentation covered aspects on river training works for roads along
the river banks through the use of geosynthetics. The advantage of geosynthetics over steel wires likehigh tensile strength, non corrosive nature and filtration characteristics were discussed. The use ofstone Filled Polymer Rope Gabions, geotextile Bags filled Gabions, sand filled Geotextile Tubes andsand filled Geotextile Bags / Containers /Mattresses was cited from various sites like Teesta,
Barimatha – Tapti river, Mula river, Pavana river (Pune) and Narmada river bank at Madhi (Gujarat).
The last presentation on this series was done by Mr. Atanu Adhikari from Reinforced Earth
Pvt. Ltd. This presentation mainly dealt with Reinforced Earth and Precast and Pre-engineered
solutions which, as claimed are eco friendly solutions and are useful in case of repair andrehabilitation works, river protection and bed protection, pre cast and pre engineering solutions andhill slope stabilization.
Pre cast cut ‘n’ cover Tunnel for traffic provides safety against land slide and mudflow and it
will be advantageous for hilly areas. Various types of retaining structures viz. river front wall,
approach wall and water front wall were shown in the slides.
The take away point from this presentation is the approach of adopting a balance in cut and fills
section for designing and restoration of hill roads. Use of soil nailing and compacted fill layers was
discussed and examples of hill road widening from different locations were cited.

3.5 Session-5: Slope Stabilization Methods/Technologies used globally
Chairman: Professor Yudhbir, Eminent Geotechnical Engineer, Dehradun
Moderator: Dr Yuka Makino, World Bank, Tokyo
Rapporteur: Dr. S. Sarkar, CBRI, Roorkee

Session report:
There were six presentations in this session from International and National participants. In
this session apart from many good practices of landslide mitigation one study on geological andgeomorphologic effect of Mandakini River and usefulness of forest conservation has been discussed.
The very first presentation by Dr Rolf Studer from Switzerland was on ’Slope stabilization andlandslide prevention in Switzerland’. He stressed upon the effectiveness of bio-engineering forshallow landslide prevention. In his presentation, he showed landslide database and associated forest
condition. He also mentioned about the book on “Bioengineering Hand Book” authored by him. The
main point of his presentation was how good is bio-engineering measures for shallow landslides.
The second presentation in this session was made by Prof. Manuel Garcia Lopez of National
University of Colombia on ’Landslide stabilization in the Colombian Andes’. He briefed about thetectonics of Colombia and landslide occurrences. He presented a few measures such as gabion wall,anchored wall, drainage measures etc.
Another presentation in this session was given by Dr. Kishore Kumar from CRRI on ’Control
measures & mitigation – Some case records’. He talked about slope management system. He
presented a list of landslide control measures and a few case studies in which CRRI has implemented a
few measures.

Dr Takano from JICA presented on “Mitigation & management of destabilized slopes”. He
mentioned about the traffic planning during the construction stage. He also commented on importanceof cost estimation. A very important point emerged out from his presentation was the evaluation ofsurroundings during construction stage. He also stressed upon the soil balancing aspect through cut
and fill and proper slope design. He presented a few measures such as soil nailing, rock fall protection,
drainage well, surface drainage etc. He advised on understanding the problem and step by step
solution.
The next presentation in this session was made by Dr. Hirotaka Ochiai from Forest ResearchInstitute, Japan on ’Forest conservation and landslides in Japan’. He showed many examples of gully
erosion and soil erosion from different counties. He mentioned about population and corresponding
land use changes in Japan. He showed past distribution of landslides in Japan and referred tolandslides in Hiroshima. He presented an excellent field experiment of debris flow. The main point in
his presentation was the important role of forest conservation in landslide disaster mitigation.
The last presentation on this session was done by Prof. Y.P. Sundriyal from Garhwal
University, Srinagar on “Challenges of slope stabilization in climatically & tectonically sensitive
Himalaya – A case study of Mandakini valley in 2003”. He presented a detail study of the Kedarnathtragedy. He mentioned about the damage survey and presented the huge data of various locations
which was affected by the 2013 disaster. He stressed upon the importance of understanding riverdischarge phenomena.

3.6 Session-6: Open Discussion/Brainstorming on the Uttarakhand Challenge
Chairman: Professor Yudhbir, Eminent Geotechnical Engineer, Dehradun
Moderator: Dr Yuka Makino, World Bank, Tokyo
Rapporteur: Dr. G.C.Joshi, UDRP, Government of Uttarakhand

Session report:
In this session a good debate on the landslides problem in Uttarakhand has been held.
Speakers, Participant and others were deliberately participating in this session. Many suggestions haveemerged out to mitigate the problem of landslide in the State. One important suggestion was t todevelop a Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) or manuals to mitigate the landslides problem and if
any Institutions / organizations have developed such SOPs or manuals they should share the same topublic for the interest to the end users. Many of participants suggested that different case studies
should be discussed in these manuals.
After that the discussion was held on what studies are to be conducted to understand the problemof landslide. By the detail deliberation all the participants agreed on the following studies that are to
be carried out for the need assessment of landslide problem:
1. Mapping: Topographical survey (Detail Topographical maps of 1:500 scale for 2 m contour
interval) Surface geological mapping –site and regional database Quaternary geological and Geomorphic mapping Hydrological mapping
2. Rainfall recording

Automatic rain gaugeVillage-level rain gauge

3. Sub-surface exploration
 Geotechnical Field and laboratory testing Hydrological monitoring Geophysical investigation
 Groundwater – hydro-geology
 Tectonic activity
4. Monitoring of landslide movement – e.g. laser scanning and LiDAR (Light Detection andRanging) survey

It was suggested that Geological Survey of India (GSI), Survey of India (SOI), Geology andMining Unit (GMU) Uttarakhand, IITs and various private consultants conduct the above studies andmake the reports available to Government of Uttarakhand.

The need for establishing more rain gauges in different parts of Uttarakhand was strongly felt
by the participants and the same was recommended to the organizers.

Another most important aspect of discussion in this session was how to design and treat the unstableslopes. The design and Implementation procedures have been discussed. Following points have beensuggested by the participants:
1. Steps for determining treatment
What was the form and shape of slope before failureWhat soils and rocks are at the site and how did it get thereDefine the failure mechanism – what was the mode of failureDefine the causes

The contributing factors and triggering factorShear stressesFirst look at the standard design procedures

Look at other cases – and learn from other cases/countries/observations



Value engineer

2. Formation of advisory group
3. Quality assurance/supervisionManagement of finance – who will bear the total costDesign and supervision consultant is the sameSupervisor – third party construction supervisor independent from surveyor andcontractor

To design and implement the various slopes, it was suggested that to achieve above objectives,different manuals/guidelines/standards/standard operating procedures already available in India or
prepared by the different organizations like JICA, UNDP, and SWISS Bioengineering etc., should bestudied and utilized. It was also suggested that, for designing and supervision of slope
mitigation/stabilization works Design and Supervision consultant shall be hired and these works
should be vetted by the task force that has already been constituted by the State government. Also at
the execution stage quality check shall be confirmed.
The most important point of discussion was about the standard Schedule of Rates (SOR) for
different items which could be used in the slope treatment works. It was suggested by the house that,some of the States have already given these rates like Delhi schedule of rates which can be used formaking the slope protection estimates. The other good suggestion was that all agencies put their rates

on the websites and make the process more competitive. It was also suggested that limited tenderquery could be done before execution of the work. One important point was discussed that because
every site is different in nature and if we are going to adopt any new technology for treatment ofslopes, item rates shall be invited from various agencies.
The discussion was held on what is the best construction mechanism for slope protection works.
Following points emerged in this discussion:
1. Safety management – protection of worker
2. Clear criteria for selection
3. EPC (Engineering procurement construction consultant) or PMC (Project Management
Contract) –– clear accountability should be fixed
4. Clear technical specifications of the interventions written by the design consultant
5. International level Design Review Consultant (DRC)
The suggestion came that a Technical Task Force (TTF) should be created to develop the best
construction mechanism, review during the execution and monitoring post construction and TTF
should give the criteria on this regard. It was also suggested that a Project Management Team should
be constituted for execution of slope protection works. A third party supervision of the work was alsosuggested by some of the participants.
A manual of similar types of case studies should be made compiling the following:
1- Best practices Examples of landslide problems and slope protection works
2- Documentation of landslide remediation works
These manuals should be available in public domain so that end users get help from these case studies
and best practices could be used in future planning of landslide treatment.
It was suggested to standardize the training and capacity building programs in order to build
the capacity of professionals and scientists on practical applications of landslide mitigation, for
improved decision-making and better management of the problem. The objective should be achieved
through lectures, practical demonstrations, laboratory exercises, plenary discussions, and field
excursions. It was also agreed that a specific syllabus for landslides training should be developed.

4.0 OUTCOMESThe Symposium recommended the implementation of the following road map for Slope
Stability Analysis and Stabilization of Chronic Slide Zones.

4.1 Topographical Survey and Mapping Investigations: - The area should be mapped in detailon appropriate scale preferably on 1:500 or 1:1000 scales with 2 m contour intervals giving theplan of affected area and typical cross sections which are required for stability analysis.
Topography may be determined by Laser Scanning, LiDAR and Aerial survey, if possible, in orderto provide overall geometrical features of the area. In general the topographical maps should
include the information like the extent and nature of vegetation cover, surface run-off
characteristics, presence of springs etc. Erosion may be observed in detail.

4.2

Site investigations Geological, Geomorphologic and Hydrogeological Data

collection:- Geological map of the landslide area should be prepared by incorporating
lithological, structural features like bedding/foliation planes, joint planes, faults, folds shear zones
unconformity etc. in rock exposures and its contacts with the overburden, soils/debris material.
Slope angle and slope direction should also be duly considered. These features should be studied
in detail and should be properly marked on the map.
The rock type in the area should be identified and their quantity as well as quality should be
precisely assessed. The minerals in the rocks and their alteration products should be taken into
consideration. The investigation must be done to carefully observe the presence of any soft orincompetent products or beds or intercalated layers. Signatures of ground movement, limit of active
scar, tension cracks, distress in the rock mass etc should also be marked on the geological map.
On several instances, geophysical studies may help in detecting such layers or pockets.
The influence of these structural features on the stability of the affected slope can be evaluatedwith the help of stereonet analysis/kinematic checks with the help of standard softwares.
In addition to it, geomorphological features like elevated and depressed zones, break in slope,erosion and depositional zones, mass movement vectors etc. should be marked either on the alreadyprepared map or on a separate map.
The hydrological conditions like depth and seasonal fluctuations of water table should also
form an important component of data required for landslide investigations. The information on thenature, extent and behavior of rainfall of a particular area, data from the nearest rain gauges orgauge and discharge sites of Central Water Commission, data on discharge in the major rivers andtheir catchment should be collected and made available to the agencies carrying out
studies/investigation of landslides. The information on changes in the ground water table may becollected from local enquiries or by observation in the wells which are present in the locality or bynoting the presence of springs etc. Sometimes, it may be desirable to drill a borehole or to install apiezometer, to observe the water level over a complete cycle of season.

4.3

Rock Soil Strength Properties and their measurement:The geotechnical Investigations shall be carried out with the objective of determining thenature and strength characteristics of the slope forming material. If it is soil or a mixture of soil androck (composite soils), disturbed and undisturbed samples should be collected carefully fromdifferent locations of the affected area.
Disturbed samples may be made used for determining the index properties, gain size
analysis etc. Undisturbed samples may be collected from the open pits or from boreholes, usingprescribed sampling tubes. In the debris covered slopes, as it is very common in the case of
Himalayan landslides, undisturbed samples of good quality can be collected only from open pits.
These samples are basic requirements for evaluation of shear strength parameters, therefore must becollected very carefully.

4.3.1

Laboratory Investigations: - Following are some basic tests needs to be carried out on thesoil and rock samples collected from the slide scar.
i. Determination of index parameters in case of soil samples.
ii. Shear characteristics of slope forming material. If the material is by and large fine grained,
tri-axial shear test may be suitable. If sample contains relatively high content of gravel orrock fragments, direct shear test could be conducted more easily on such samples. All the
tests should be carried out as per the prescribed standard procedures.
iii. Rock samples should be examined carefully to find out the nature of rock, extent ofweathering, presence of any weak or incompetent inter layer etc. If suitable samples are
obtained, strength of rock samples can also be determined.
4.3.2 Structural Geology and Data Interpretation:-In the rock slopes, orientation of discontinuity
planes and deformational features like joints, folds, faults,

along with other important

structural features shall be carefully recorded. Preparation of cross-sections, longitudinal
sections along with the stereonet projections of various discontinuity planes in order to define
the type of probable slope failure (Planar type, Wedge type, Topple type or compound). In
case of soil/debris establishment of slip circles. Cohesion (c) and Angle of Internal Friction(Φ) are to be calculated for both.
4.3.3 Prepare Realistic Slope Model: - In order to analyze the slope a realistic slope model shall be
prepared on the basis of the data collected. Digital Elevation Model of the affected slope
should also be prepared.

4.3.4 Analyses of Slope: - The slope stability analysis shall be carried out separately for the rock slopes
and separately for the soil slopes and thereafter the protection measures must be analyzed for overall
global stability. The rock slope stability can be analyzed by the slip circle analysis or by deformation(stress) analysis. The common methods of calculating factor of safety assuming circular failure surfaces
are Fellenius methods and Bishop Method. The rock slope failure can be classified into one of four
categories depending on the type of degree of structural control.


Planar Failures-

Governed by single discontinuity



Wedge Failure-

Failure mass defined by two discontinuities with a line ofintersection that is inclined out of the slope face.

Toppling Failure-

It involves slabs or columns of rock defined bydiscontinuities that dip steeply into the slope face.

Circular Failure-

Occur in the rock mass that are either highly fractured orcomprised of the material having low intact shear strength.

Interpretation of these data in order to allow three dimensional orientation data to be represented andanalyzed into two dimensions can be done by the most commonly used by the equal area net and thepolar net projections. Appropriate methods of analysis for a circular failure in rock depend upon theshear strength criteria used to characterize the rock mass material. Analytical techniques such as thosepresented by Janbu, Bishop, Morgensteru and price and Sharma can be chosen wisely considering thenature of the material whether it obey the Mohr- Coulomb criteria or not.
To analyze stability problems where conditions may preclusive the use of stability charts
generally requires the utilization of computer program such as XSTABL, PC-STABL5, LISA andTALREN. Dynamic forces introduces in rock slope should be considered in slope design analysis as thearea falls within the geodynamically active seismic zone. Design stabilizing support. A variety ofremedial, corrective or control methods are practiced to protect hill slopes these shall be site specific,
durable and effective.

4.3.5 Monitoring and post construction analysis: - Field instrumentation and monitoring is requiredfor detecting signs of pending instability as well as post slide movements. The instrumentation program
should be planned to provide the basic information of the following aspects.
a) Monitoring of built up and dissipating of pore water pressureb) Measurement of different points in the movements, andc) Measurement of surface movements.

4.3.6 Execution and post construction analysis:-The protection measures suggested as per design andabove analysis by any specialized agency must be indemnified by them such that the risks associatedwith specialized works are being taken care of such construction. The designed life of suggested
protecting measures shall be of minimum 100 years.

5.0 WAY FORWARD
Geological appraisal and geotechnical assessment should be made a prerequisite mandate for any
infrastructure project in order to make proper and adequate plans for excavation and stabilization. The
practice of getting a routine stereotype note/report from a geologist should be done away with and ample
space and importance should be given for site specific detailed geological and geotechnical studies andinvestigations. A penny spent in such studies and investigations can save millions in future and also helpin evolving lasting design solutions. Proper geological investigation will guide in selecting a tailor madeexcavation methodology for a particular road, bridge or a tunnel site which will help in minimizing thedamage to the in-situ rocks and other natural materials occupying the slope at that site which in turnwould mean optimizing the support measures.
Technical knowledge and expertise, institutional or freelancing, on the subject matter is available
in the country and the State of Uttarakhand itself. The State is blessed to have premier departments ofGovernment of India like Geological Survey of India and Survey of India in Dehradun. The former isthe nodal agency of GOI for carrying out studies of landslides in India and has vast expertise insuggesting remedial measures for landslides. There are institutions such as IIT Roorkee; Central
Building Research Institute, Roorkee; Indian Institute of Remote Sensing, Dehradun; Indian Institute ofSoil and Water Conservation, Dehradun; and Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology, Dehradun thathave been carrying out studies of landslides and helping in evolving the treatment plans and stabilization
measures. Basic geological mapping, data collection, analysis and numerical modelling and design canbe done with Indian expertise.
Technology transfer in some of the cases is required from outside. The supply of some of thematerials like geosynthetic textile, geocells, geogrid, steel fibre reinforced shotcrete, catch net fences
and hydro seeding etc., may have to be imported. However, there are Indian franchises that have supply
agreements with the original foreign suppliers.
Use of locally available material should be encouraged in the treatment of a particular sliding or
subsidence zones. Locally available traditional knowledge pertaining to the historical behavior, modesof failure and immediate response from the natives to contain or treat slides should also be utilized.
Research & Development projects may be taken up with help from Department of Science andTechnology (DST), for technological or material innovation, using locally available geological or
natural material for stabilization of a particular slide zone.

Coordination and cooperation amongst departments like PWD, PMGSY and BRO is required sothat concerted actions can be taken up in tackling the challenges put forth by the landslides/subsidence.
Collaborative approach in this regard will also help in resource sharing amongst these departments
which will immensely help in extending immediate relief to the people and also in tackling thechallenges.
Early warning mechanisms at village/block level should be developed to avert loss to life andlivestock. Community level interaction on the possible escape routes in the event of a landslide shouldbe held and a general map of such escape routes should be available at the village panchayat level. It
will help in evacuation process even before the arrival of the rescue teams from the government
agencies.
Participatory learning workshops, disseminating basic knowledge on the phenomenon and threat
perception about the landslide, should be made a part of school curriculum at least at junior high school,
high school and intermediate level.
We will have to modernize our approach and aptitude towards the understanding of the subject
matter pertaining to road cutting, blasting, for infrastructure development (bridge, tunnel etc.) andshould have a tendency to adapt to state of the art technological innovations in this field. At the sametime the appreciation for natural processes of landslide or ground subsidence or river bank erosion
should be made in the right perspective so that the contribution/role of anthropogenic
activities/interference in triggering a particular landslide can be evaluated correctly. The executing
agencies like PWD and BRO should adopt modernized equipment for cutting roads or stabilizing hillslopes.
As stated above, there is no dearth of experience and expertise available on the subject matter.
With the existing experience of stabilizing one of the mega slides such as Varunavat in Uttarkashi
district, indigenous experts can tackle most of the challenges that the State of Uttarakhand is facing.
However a strong will power and fast actions from the State machinery is required for that.

Annexure A: Abstracts

Application of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for landslide investigations with
examples from South and South East Asia
Rajinder Bhasin, NGI, Norway

Abstract
At the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute (NGI) in Oslo, Norway, there has been a continuous
activity in development and testing of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) for different sub-surface
mapping tasks. Three generations of GPR have been developed at NGI, the latest being the hand-held
GPR system based on the "fieldfox" network analyzer. NGI's GPR has been successfully used for quick
and cost effective mapping of landslides and for subsurface investigations throughout the world. GPR isa high resolution geophysical method, which is based on the propagation of high frequency
electromagnetic waves. The GPR method images structures in the ground that are related to changes indielectric properties and therefore it can be used for landslide investigations where the thickness ofdebris can often be estimated and slip surface identified. Being a non-destructive method, the GPRtechniques being used extensively around the world for various applications including:• Geological and hydro‐geological investigations including mapping of bedrock topography,
detecting slip surface pf landslides, water levels, glacial structures, soils and aggregates.
• Engineering investigations to evaluate dams, tunnels, pavements, roadbeds, railway
embankments, piles, bridge decks, river scour, buildings and monuments.
• Location and evaluation of buried structures including utilities, foundations, reinforcing bars,
cavities, tombs, archaeological artifacts• Subsurface mapping for cables, pipes and other buried structures prior to trench‐lessoperations.
This presentation will highlight the application of NGI's hand-held GPR for investigation of landslides.
Examples will be shown of its use in South and South East Asia including India.

Landslide mitigation strategies with examples
Frode Sandersen, NGI, Norway

Abstract
Landslides and other mass movements are serious geo-environmental hazards in many parts of
the world, especially in the Himalayas. In addition to the anthropogenic and seismic triggering factors
for landslides, it is believed that the intense rainfall in the region not only contributes to rapid erosion
and weathering of the rock mass, but also increases the groundwater level that leads to reduction in thestability of natural slopes. This presentation will highlight some of the structural and non-structural
mitigation strategies for stabilization of landslides.
Structural measures include, but are not limited to drainage, erosion protection, channeling, vegetation,
ground improvement, and barriers such as earth ramparts, walls, artificial elevated land, anchoring
systems and retaining structures, buildings designed and/or placed in locations to withstand the impact
forces of landslides and to provide safe dwellings for people, and escape routes. Physical protection
barriers may be used to stop or delay the impact of debris flows, reduce the maximum reach of its
impact, or dissipate the energy of the landslide. Such barriers may include “soft” structures in the formof dikes or embankments, or “hard” structures like vertical concrete or stone block wall. Any measuresneed to be part of a community’s master plan and subjected to analyses to assess and circumvent any
negative environmental impact. It is important, when evaluating mitigation measures, to weigh benefitsof the measures to be implemented and the possible negative effects these measures may have.
Decision-making will rest in finding an optimal solution.
The non-structural or more generally "consequence reducing measures" include, but are not limited to:retreat from hazard, land-use planning, early warning and public preparedness (escape routes, etc) andemergency management.
Continuous technological progress and innovation make it virtually impossible to provide a detailed
overview of mitigation strategies. This presentation will show some recent examples of landslide
mitigation methods, which have been adopted in Norway and abroad.

Remote Sensing and GIS for Landslide Hazard Mitigation:
Priorities for Uttarakhand
P.K. Champati Ray
champati_ray@iirs.gov.in
Head, Geosciences and Geohazards Dept.,
Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS), ISRO, Dehradun
Abstract
Uttarakhand was devastated by extreme climate event leading to unprecedented loss of human
lives and property. Reconstruction and rehabilitation following the disaster provides opportunity for
improving infrastructure and make society as well as infrastructure more resilient as the frequency ofsuch extreme events is going to increase. In this regard emphasis is laid on Landslide hazard mitigation
as this is the prime cause of maximum damage and destruction in Uttarakhand. Landslides can bemapped, monitored and modeled using Geoinformatics (GIT) tools and techniques. Particularly thesetechniques can be of immense value in large tracts of inaccessible regions like Himalaya. Traditional
geotechnical analysis like factor of safety (FOS) calculation can be implemented in GIS and spatial
patterns can be analyzed. Additionally, satellite remote sensing provides information on slope
deformation using DInSAR and precipitation which is an important triggering factor of landslides inIndia. GNSS based observation can provide precise observation on slope deformation which is crucial tomodeling and monitoring of active and potential slope failures. Satellite as well ground based
information can be integrated using geoinformatics tool to develop an Early Warning System forlandslides. Although opportunities are enormous, there exist gaps in appropriate policy framework toincorporate GI tools in slope stability assessment and monitoring related to disaster management andinfrastructure development.

Challenges in landslide Early Warning for a catchment area and a way forward
Pankaj Jaiswal
GHRM Cell, Geological Survey of India, CHQ, Kolkata – 700 016
email: pankaj.jaiswal2@gmail.com

Abstract
Forecasting of a natural disaster has gained importance in many disciplines, including landslidestudies. The first practical demonstration of landslide early-warning system was possibly in 1980s by
United State Geological Survey in the San Francisco Bay area. Since then, several attempts have been
made to forecast landslide events. In last few decades, with advancement in technology, research onsite-specific monitoring of individual landslide for issuance of early warning has gained importance.
However, the development of a real-time early-warning system for forecasting landslides, both in space
and time, and communication of warning to individuals may appear a step too far, especially in large
developing countries like India.
World over, many advances have been made in the methods for landslide forecasting; but thechallenge remains in mapping individual landslide processes and the factor that results instability. The
uniqueness of landslide phenomenon and the fact that each triggering event can result in one or manylandslides in an area, make this geomorphic process difficult to predict in space and time. Although, it ispossible to predict movement of a single landslide through detailed mapping and instrumentation; but,the challenge remains forecasting over a large area. Further, the high cost of instruments and theirapplicability over a limited area makes instrument-based landslide forecasting uneconomical.
Challenges are also related to spatial prediction of a landslide. All the available models for landslide
spatial mapping only provide a qualitative or probability-based quantitative susceptibility maps showing
the probable initiation zones. Such maps do not point out ‘precisely’ where the landslide will actually
initiate given the triggering condition and how it will behave down slope. Things get further
complicated if it requires to associate temporal component with the landslide event and to communicate
the warning i.e., how to inform the individual or community about the danger. Since, landslide
distribution is localized and affects only a few individual or a certain segment of the society,communicating the warning, which are developed and issued from place located far away, to theconcerned remains a challenge.

One

way

to

overcome

this

is

to

use

the

locallydeveloped

rainfall threshold models for forecasting rainfall-induced landslides. The advantage is that the thresholdmodels are economical and can be adapted for a catchment area. What it requires is establishing a
relationship between trigger (rainfall) and landslide initiation. Forecasting of the trigger can provide
information on ‘when’ landsliding would occur and this in conjunction with landslide susceptibility
maps can delineate potentially hazardous areas and timely early warning.
Fig. 1 shows the operating procedure of threshold-based early warning system. The capabilitiesof this system rely on empirical models which are based on rainfall measurements. The warning system
is composed of several components, including establishment of rainfall-landslide thresholds, rainfall
forecasting methods, real-time rainfall monitoring and an automated computing system for evaluation of
warning. The system is essentially based on a quantitative precipitation forecast either using remotesensing data or network of rain gauges. For Indian condition, with 0.42 million sq. km hill area being
prone to landslide risk, such cost-effective landslide warning tool is the most viable solution. What isrequires is establishing a threshold model for small river catchment or at Taluk level, establishing atipping-bucket type rain gauges at village level, collection and dissemination of daily rainfall data andlocally analyzing the threshold exceedance for monitoring. The process can be automated at districtlevel and can be manually carried out at village level through village panchayat or school. In addition,
threshold exceedance graph or chart along with the susceptibility map can be displayed at village levelfor facilitating community based response.

Figure 1 Operating procedure of warning system based on rainfall thresholds.

.

Towards Establishing Rainfall Thresholds for triggering landslides for the
Uttarakhand Himalaya
Vikram Gupta
Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology
33 General Mahadeo Singh Road
Dehra Dun – 248 001 (INDIA)
Tel. + 91 135 2525403; Fax: 0135-2625212
Email: vgupta_wihg@yahoo.com / vgupta@wihg.res.in
Abstract
Landslide, in general, is mainly affected by the internal geological conditions like lithology,
structure, tectonics, terrain morphology, hydrological conditions and external triggering factors likeearthquake and rainfall. Rainfall induced landslides and related mass movement phenomena occur
almost every year, particularly during the monsoon, which usually lasts from June/July to September,and accounts for the loss of hundreds of lives and damage to private and public property. According toan estimate an average loss of ~ 40-50 million USD incurs every year in India due to landslides andassociated phenomena.
Uttarakhand Himalaya, having about 90% of its landmass under mountainous terrain, is plaguedby landslides during or immediately after the monsoon, owing to its propensity towards unstablegeological and structural setting, and steep slopes combined with severe weather conditions. It has beenreported that two landslides occur in every square km of area per year in the Uttarakhand Himalaya.
1998 Surabhi Resort (near Mussoorie) landslides, 2003 Varunavat Parvat (near Uttarkashi) landslides,
2013 numerous landslides in the Yamuna, Alaknanda and Bhagirathi valleys, 2014 BaliaNala (Nainital
township) landslide are some of the recently struck rainfall induced landslides that have caused greatloss of life and property in the region.

With increasing number of rainfall induced landslides in recent years, particularly in the
Uttarakhand Himalaya, an understanding of the relationship between rainfall and the incidence oflandslides is of utmost importance. Though many studies related to the assessment of empirical rainfall
thresholds for landslides initiation in order to predict landslide occurrence have been carried out all over
the world, none of the established threshold value hold true for the Himalayan region, particularly for
the Uttarakhand Himalaya.

The present study focuses on studying typical rain triggered landslides vis-à-vis long duration
daily rainfall data of the area. The study is based on the assumptions that there is a direct correlation
between the occurrence of landslides and the quantity of rainfall, intensity and duration of the rainstorm
events. The studied landslides are 1998 Surabhi Resort landslide (located on the Mussoorie-Kemptyroad), 2003 Varunavat Parvat landslide (located in the Uttarkashi township), Wariya landslide in the
Yamuna valley (located upstream of Barkot township), 2013 landslides in the Bhagirathi valley and2014 Balia Nala landslide (located in the Nainital township). It has been observed that despite having
different rainfall intensity in these different areas/valleys, there is large probability of landslides when
the intensity of rainfall, in the monsoon season (total rainfall during rainy season /number of rainy days),in a particular area exceeds about 100% of the normal intensity of that area. However more landslidecase-studies need to be investigated so as to establish the generalized rainfall threshold of the area.

Problems of Instability in Nainital: A case study
Charu C. Pant, Centre of Advance Study, Department of Geology
Kumaun University, Nainital 263002(ccpgeol@gmail.com)

Abstract
The Naini lake basin, located in the Krol belt of Lesser Himalaya, is approximately 21 km 2 inarea. The rocks of the area highly deformed and criss-crossed by a number of faults which has rendered
the slope forming material highly vulnerable to mass wasting. The mean slope value in the area varies
from 20 degrees to more than 45 degrees. As a matter of fact, about 50% of the Naini lake basin iscovered with debris generated by mass-movement. The fragile geological conditions, high rainfall
coupled with anthropogenic factors have made the hill slopes highly unstable. Nainital has had a long
history of landslides. The northwestern part of the township is covered by huge landslide lobes and fansproduced by 1887 and 1880 slides. The 1867 slide produced the fan over which the Nainital club islocated. The catastrophic debris flow of 1880 killed about 155 people and produced the almost gentle
tract of the flats. The slopes of the Sher ka Danda are the dip slopes and the slates of the Lower Krol
manifest 35-550 towards SW. The slopes of the Brook Hill and Shervani area are likewise covered bythick stabilized landslide deposits of unknown age. The cliff section of Naina peak continues to supply
debris during rainy seasons. There are a large number of joints trending NW-SE in the slates whichhave widened due to percolation of rain water thus reducing the shearing strength of the rocks and soil
forming material. The Middle Ayarpata slide of 1939 and Edwinstowe slide of 1942 were caused byheavy traffic in the area. This caused reactivation of shattered slope forming material comprised ofslated overlain by carbonate rocks. The slips of the Purbeck lodge and Phansi gadhera in1942 and 1958
caused damage to the Raj Bhavan road .The chronic Balia ravine landslides is attributed to high shearing
and shattering related to Nainital lake fault. The 17 August 1898 slide affected the Kailkhan spur andburied the brewery (Birbhatti). The right bank of Balia nala was affected by a slide of 1924. The
stability of Nainital is directly related to the stability of the Balia ravine. The steep southern slopes of
the Raj Bhawan-Lands End are presently highly unstable. The dolomites of the upper Krol and Tal arehighly shattered and there are several vertical joints paralleling the Main boundary Thrust (MBT) has
produced precipitous scarp into Nihal-Saulia causing rock falls and debris slides.

The slopes of the basin and the civil structures shows several signs and evidence of instability
viz. tilting of the trees , cracks in the parapets, walls of the houses, tilting of electric poles etc. Actual
cumulative measurements of pillars and pegs in different segments of the basin have` shown verticaldisplacements of the order of 22 - 60 cm during a period of 50-60 years. The stability of the townshipdepends upon proper understanding of the geological, geohydrological and anthropogenic conditions
prevailing a particular area and location. An attempt has been made by various organizations forunderstanding the problems of instability in the basin. A hazard zonation map of the township ofNainital has been prepared. An attempt will be made to discuss the problems of instability and suggest
preventive / corrective measures.

Natural Hazard Mitigation Measures
Ashish Gharpure
Maccaferri Environmental Solutions Pvt. Ltd.
Abstract
As per World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Natural Hazards are defined as “severe andextreme weather and climate events that occur naturally in all parts of the world, although some regions
are more vulnerable to certain hazards than others, and these become natural disaster when people’s
lives and livelihoods are destroyed”. Natural hazards, majorly Landslides and Rockfall, commonlyoccurring in mountainous terrains, are receiving greater attention around the world primarily due to its
increased frequency of occurrences and capability of causing catastrophic damages. With increasing
developments of transportation network and infrastructure, the number of affected lives in the hilly areas
is also increasing. Highway and railway construction in mountainous regions and hilly terrain presents a
special challenge to geologists and geotechnical engineers because of these reasons. As far as India isconcerned, Landslide events are distributed in all regions of the country differing from the scale ofseverity of disaster. There is now a sense of urgency and recognition of need to stabilize rock slopes and/ or mitigate impacts of this increased exposure to Rockfall and Landslides. It is neither possible norpractical to detect all potential Landslide and Rockfall hazards by any of the techniques currently usedin rock engineering. However, Landslide and Rockfall mitigations are areas which have experienced
extensive technical developments in the past few years. It is extremely important to identify andcategorize Landslide/ Rockfall Event by doing proper surveys and studies- Geophysical, hydrogeological, geotechnical, which in turn helps in assessing the risk involved. Beyond the basic theories,classification and causes of Rockfall and Landslides, this paper/presentation attempts to capture therecent developments, categorize and describe mitigation measures and deals with selection of different
traditional and latest mitigation measures. Various Landslide Prevention and Remediation measures,
like, modification of slope geometry, drainage measures, retaining systems, internal slope
reinforcement, Bio-engineering and greening techniques are briefly explained in the paper/ presentation.
Several mitigation measures for Rockfalls, which are classified as protection, retention and prevention
measures, namely, modification of slope geometry, Drapery system, Rockfall ditches, Rock fall barriers,
Rock sheds and Rockfall protection Embankments are also included briefly in the paper/ presentation.

Three case studies from India and abroad, are briefed in the paper/presentation explaining the problem
and solution adopted.

Key words: Landslide Mitigation, Rockfall Mitigation, Natural Hazard Mitigation, Hazard Risk
Assessment, Drapery, Rockfall Barrier, Rockfall Embankment, Drainage, Warning Measures,
Protection Measures, Retention Measures, Prevention MeasuresLandslide studies using space-based inputs

Tapas R. Martha*, Priyom Roy and K. Vinod Kumar
National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), Hyderabad500037, India*For correspondence: tapas_martha@nrsc.gov.in
Abstract
Satellite images have inherent advantage of extracting landslide information in highly
inaccessible mountainous areas. Availability of high resolution data from Indian Remote Sensing (IRS)
satellites such as Resourcesat-2 LISS-IV Mx, Cartosat-1&2 in conjunction with ISRO's geoportal i.e.
Bhuvan, has culminated to a mechanism from timely data acquisition to dissemination, which is vital forassessment as well as management of landslide disaster. In the recent 2013 Uttarakhand disaster, a totalof 6585 landslides covering approximately an area of 52 km2 were mapped in the Bhagirathi and
Alaknanda valleys using high resolution satellite data. Furthermore, a damage of two sq. km. of riverterrace at 89 locations along the two river valleys was observed after the 2013 Uttarakhand disaster.
Maximum loss of fluvial terrace was seen in the Alaknanda river valley in comparison to the Bhagirathi
river valley. Digital elevation models (DEM) derived from stereoscopic Cartosat-1 data helped toestimate the volume of large landslides. Satellite data have also been used to map and monitor landslide
induced lakes in the Himalayas. Landslide susceptibility maps (1:25,000 scale) prepared by NRSC in
association with other knowledge centres for important tourist and pilgrim routes in the State of
Uttarakhand is made available through Bhuvan. These maps are consumed with additional near real-time
rainfall data from IMD and ISRO's weather data for landslide early warning in selective routes of
Uttarakhand State.

Key words: satellite data, landslide inventory, landslide early warning, Bhuvan

Reconstruction Measures In Uttarakhand – Some Technical Solutions
Chandan Ghosh
Professor & Head [GeoHazards]
National Institute of Disaster Management
Ministry of Home Affairs, Govt. of India
New Delhi 110002
Email: cghosh24@gmail.com

Abstract
In the third week of June 2013, the State of Uttarakhand was severely hit by heavy rains induced
flash floods, moraine burst and landslides. Disruption of communication and adverse weather conditions
complicated the situation for taking up timely rescue operation. This abnormally high amount of rainfall
has been attributed to the fusion of Westerlies with the monsoonal cloud system of the East. Implicationof “heavy rainfall” warning by India Meteorological Department (IMD) for the regions and absence ofany modern science based geospatially validated “flash flood warning system” in place, caused systemic
aberration in the interpretation of such “warning” by IMD. Thus meaning of such unusually usual“heavy rains” message reportedly given on 14th June 2013, carried luke warm response among theDisaster Managers of the State. So, dissemination of the same among the public through feasibly nontransparent “emergency operation protocol” met up with several incoherencies, that finally led tocatastrophic situation.
Implication of heavy rainfall warning by IMD and nation’s capability to know precondition
before cloud burst in Uttarakhand have become issues of the national debate. An analysis of rainfall data
for the past five years in the region, available with the India Meteorological Department, points tochanges in rainfall trends, with a greater number of incidents of excess rainfall. The trends, however, did
not indicate the kind of heavy rainfall that the State were going to receive in the month of June 2013, butsuch phenomena in the recent past point to the necessity for a robust early warning program based on
weather monitoring devices.

While taking up the reconstruction of Uttarakhand flash flood-2013, it is recommended toregulate development to places where it can be safely carried out. A holistic approach is to be madeincluding a check on the construction of roads, hydro-power and resettlement of pilgrim establishments.

The natural geological and geo-morphological along with ecological features make this task reallychallenging geo-professional. Taking all these factors into consideration, it is necessary that due
precautions are taken while carrying out reconstruction work in the State. This presentation discusses
various strategically important issues which need to be given due consideration while carrying out thereconstruction task for damaged buildings, infrastructure and other establishments in the disaster hit
Uttarakhand. Some successful landslides and river training works, including Bio-engineering and Hydro
seeding applications, using combination of Geosynthetics, Gabion wall, Geo-tube, soil nailing, etc. are
explained in the paper.

Slope Stabilization Methods/Technologies In India

Harish Bahuguna
Uttarakhand Jal Vidhyut Nigam Limited, Dehradun

Abstract
India is a vast country having myriad geographical, topographical and climatic regimes, each oneof which is so distinct that a generalized understanding of the subject matter would lead to ambiguity. It
would require an in-depth knowledge about the terrain and climatic conditions of a specific landslide
zone

or

potentially unstablearea

beforeone

decidestoapply/implementaparticulartreatment/stabilization method to it.
Looking at the diverse geographical divisions viz. Peninsular region, Deccan plateau, IndoGangetic Plain, Thar desert and Extra Peninsular region, the slope instability problems are not equallydistributed in space and time. Landslides and other types of slope instability have been reported
occasionally from the Deccan trap region, However, the incidences are more in case of Sahyadri’s andNilgiri hills. The maximum instances of landslide and other instabilities occur in the Himalayan region.
Mighty Himalaya extends for about 2500 Km in length from the North-west to the syntaxial band in thenorth-east and it exposes different kind of strata varying in lithology from the soft and friablesedimentary rocks of quaternary and Siwaliks to the massive hard and compact rocks of Central
Crystallines. Different type of natural materials like glacial, fluvio-glacial deposits, terraces of riverborne-material, palaeoslide dumps and slope wash material adorn the slopes.
Topographic disposition, climatic conditions and regime of surface and underground water at aparticular site guide the nature of movement of the slope forming material. The comparative high relief,
steep gradient and abrupt discharge coupled with incidences of cloud burst results in the slumping,sliding, bank erosion and toe cutting. All these factors contribute towards inducing instability on theslopes.
Landslide zonation programmes, on different scales, viz. micro, meso and macro help in
identifying/delineating potential zones for sliding/subsidence. Detailed geological mapping on 1:1000 to1:10000 is carried out to bring out morphological and geological details of the slide zone. Subsurface
explorations in the form of drilling and geophysical profiling are done to know the subsurface
conditions. Geo-mechanical properties are determined by testing the undisturbed soil samples and bed
rock samples in the lab.

After getting all the field geological detail and test results from the laboratories, kinematic
checks for the slopes (in rock) and numerical modelling in discontinuous mode using 2D and 3D
software’s like Phase or UDEC/3DEC is carried out. Results of such analysis and modelling forms thebasis for devising and designing the stabilization measures for a particular slope.
The choice of stabilization measure depends on the nature and extent of the movement and thesite requirement. Availability of funds to a large extent, governs the scale of treatment/stabilization
measure. Depending upon the site requirement a rigid or flexible type of measure is generally provided.
In India, both the above types of measures have been implemented in different terrain conditions
and requirements and state of the art techniques are being utilized for devising the support measures.
Soil nailing, bio-restoration techniques, geosynthetics, geomembranes, welded steel mesh, chain link
membrane coupled with rock anchors and rock bolts are being used to stabiles the slopes. In case ofdeep seated instabilities cable anchors are also being used in combination with the chain link shotcreteor steel fibre reinforced shotcrete.

Slope Stabilization Issues In Large Scale Rock-Masses
Sanjay Kumar Sharma,
IIT(BHU), Varanasi
Professor of Mining Engineering,+91-9450950078, E-mail:sksharma.min@itbhu.ac.in

Abstract
Evolving capacity for predicting Landslides is a long-felt need and concern of the rockengineers. This capacity may enable us to protect people from the associated fatalities and losses. Thisin turn would reduce the impact of the future disasters. But even with all the efforts of the scientificcommunity, we are right now not in a position to pinpoint occurrence of the landslides that continue toimpact us throughout the world.

The recent Kedar ghaati disaster was technically a complex geo-technical issue encompassing
reduction of “C” and angle of internal friction of the rock masses, coupled with large scale sudden
floods. Hence, the rocks that were supposed to serve as basin for the water flow for its regulation- flew
like sludge and slurry devastating every structure that came its way. This presentation would attempt tounderline the magnitude of the problem, the possible approach for the right methodology, modelling
possibilities and challenges, scale of operation of the activity, stabilization deliverables and tools andsubsequent monitoring of the stabilized slopes.

The presentation would also inform about our core competencies and how IIT(BHU), Varanasi
and our laboratories can involve in these rehabilitative efforts.

Engineering Geological Investigations and Mitigation Measures of Artificial Slopes – A Case
Study
Dr. Ajay Kumar Naithani
HOD, Engineering Geology Department
National Institute of Rock Mechanics
Kolar Gold Fields – 563 117, Karnataka
Email: ajay_naithani@hotmail.com
Abstract

The stability of natural or artificial slopes generally depends upon the geometry, frequency andorientation of joint sets, dip of slope and its plane of weakness and condition of the slopes. Other
parameters affecting the slope stability are climate, hydrology, tectonic movements, presence of breccia
and human activities in immediate and/or adjacent area, underground openings. The blasting may bringabout, years later, changes affecting the stability of slopes. When any slope (natural/artificial) shows thesign of instability, then it becomes essential to stabilize the slope by adopting the effective control
measures depending upon the risk involved in it, in short term as well as in long term.

In order to evaluate the design basis parameters for the inclined/vertical walls of tail race pooland tail race channel of Pulichintala hydroelectric scheme (PCHES), engineering geological mapping(on 1:200 scale) was carried out. The Pulichintala hydroelectric scheme is being constructed, as abalancing reservoir to store about 45.77 TMC to facilitate supply of water in a regular manner to ensure
timely nursery and transplantation operations during June and July in Krishna Delta and to install four
units to produce 120 MW electricity by utilizing water from Pulichintala Reservoir. The proposed damsite is at Pulichintala village of Guntur District and Vazinepally village of Nalgonda District and locatedat 115 km downstream of Nagarjuna Sagar. The approximate latitude and longitude of the project siteare: N16°46’14” and E80°03’33” respectively.

Grids were prepared for mapping of the TRP and TRC walls. The size of the grid is 2 m x 2 m,which was decided based on the mapping accuracy and resolution required for such investigations. All
the lithological variance and structural discontinuities in rock mass were identified and mapped usingTotal Station survey equipment. ISRM (1981) and IS: 11315-Part-5 (1987), classifications for weatheredrock mass was used to characterize the rock mass into different grades. For the assessment of thestability of rock slopes, Slope Mass Rating (SMR) (IS 13365–Part-3, 1997; Romana, 1985) approach
was adopted. The approach is based on modification of RMR system using adjustment factors related to
discontinuity orientation with reference to slope as well as failure mode and slope excavation methods.
The determination of failure modes in rock slopes was done on the basis of the geologicaldiscontinuities observed on the slope.

The rock types exposed after excavation on the wall sections are phyllites and phyllites withquartzite bands belonging to Cumbum Formation of Nallamalai Group. Phyllite is fine grained, hard andjointed in nature. Variation in the thickness of quartzite beds was observed. The foliation in phyllite andbedding in quartzite are parallel to each other. Foliation in phyllite has a general trend of N55oE-S55oW
with dips towards southeast. Variation in the trend of foliation is due to minor folds present in thephyllite. The minor folds (tight isoclinal) plunge towards N70oE-S70oW. No evidence of faulting or
shearing was observed along the inclined/vertical joints on the surface of inclined walls.

It was observed that the excavation of the TRP/TRC exposed the top 0.1 to 5 m thick reddish
brown sandy/gravely soil, underlain by 5 to 7 m moderately weathered and disintegrated phyllite andthen by fresh, hard and jointed phyllites with quartzite bands. The grade of rock mass based on the rockjoint characteristics has the SMR values varying from 32 to 69, and falls under Bad to Good rock mass
category. Based on engineering geological investigations, the geotechnical problems were identified,and remedial measures are suggested for the inclined/vertical walls.

Integrated Approach For Stabilization Of Varunavat Parvat Landslide –A Case Study
T.S. Routela, AGM
Tehri Hydropower Development Corporation India Ltd.
Abstract

The State of Uttarakhand in North India has been witnessing a number of natural disasters suchas earthquakes, landslides and flash floods etc. These disasters have greatly affected Uttarkashi Town
and surrounding regions of ‘Middle Himalayas’ in the recent past. Uttarkashi Township, located on theright bank of the Bhagirathi River, is known for having a history of a number of natural disasters. Oneof such disaster was a major landslide on the slopes of the Varunavrat, a mountain which surrounds
Uttarkashi Town from Eastern side. The disaster struck late in the night of 23rd September 2003, justtowards the end of rainy season in the area. A number of commercial and residential buildings got
buried during the process of massive fall of debris from the mountain. Fortunately, there was no humancasualty as the movement of the mountain was very closely being watched and monitored.

The Varunavrat landslide has been classified as a classical example of debris slide (Debris slidein the crown portion, and rock fall and rockslide in the middle part). Both natural and human-induced
factors are responsible for this disastrous slide; however, the main triggering factor has been identified
as the surface and groundwater. State Govt. took immediate initiative to invite the attention of Central
Govt. and sought requisite resources for tackling the disaster and save the Uttarkashi Town. Central
Govt. by immediately appointing a high level Task Force to oversee the treatment works and also by
designating the Tehri Hydro Development Corporation Ltd (THDCIL ) as the technical consultant forproviding the complete engineering solutions to the work, stressed the need to save the ancient andheritage Uttarkashi Town. The stability problem is unique because at the foothills of the mountain runs
the National highway which leads to a great Hindu pilgrimage “Gangotri” and Uttarkashi a densely
populated town is located.

An integrated approach of a stabilization measures with flattening of slopes by removing theoverburden mass from the Crown area with suitable berms, effective drainage arrangement (surface &sub-surface), suitable erosion control measures for improving the stability of the slopes along with themultistage protection measures by providing catch pits, wide platforms, retaining walls and constructionof tunnel on the national highway for mitigating the rock fall hazards were considered to be adopted tominimize the impact of disaster in future so that people of Uttarkashi Town can live safely without fear.

Successful Handling Of Slope Stabilization & Landslide Prevention Through Soil Nailing
Dr. Satyendra Mittal,
Department of Civil Engineering, IIT Roorkee,
Email: satyendramittal@gmail.com
Abstract
The basic concept of soil nailing is to reinforce and strengthen the existing ground by installing closely
spaced steel bars, called "nails," into a slope or excavation as construction proceeds from "top to down."
This process creates a reinforced section that is itself stable and able to retain the ground behind it. The
reinforcements are passive and develop their reinforcing action through nail ground interactions as theground deforms both during and following construction.

Soil Nailing has been successfully used by the author at more than 35 locations in the country invarious hostile situations. Authors experience incorporate landslide management in Shimla, Nainital and
Dehradun and basement constructions, through stitching of soil by soil nailing techniques at various
locations in Amritsar, Delhi, and Gurgaon etc. Full length paper shall discuss salient features of some ofthese sites.

Landslide Hazard Mitigation: Issues & Challenges
Dr. Shantanu Sarkar
Senior Principal Scientist & Group Leader
CSIR-Central Building Research Institute, Roorkee

Abstract
The natural disasters resulting from the major geological hazards such as earthquakes, floods,
landslide, volcanic eruption and tsunami around the globe are increasing day by day. The lives andproperty loss resulting from landslides is enormous because of its frequent occurrences in hilly regions.
In India, economic losses due to landslides are great and apparently are growing due to increasing
rainfall intensities and frequencies, coupled with population growth in hills.
Landslide phenomena are recurrent problems in Himalayas and the hill roads are often blocked whichsometimes also lead to casualties. In recent years there were several landslide disasters in the country
and one of the worst affected States is the Uttarakhand. A large number of landslides have affected themain highways in Uttarakhand Himalaya. The traffics along these routes are always in danger as there isan every possibility of triggering landslides particularly during the monsoon period. For example, onesuch highway is the NH-58 from Rishikesh to Badrinath along the rivers Ganges and Alaknanda. The
road stretch of 100 km from Chamoli to Badrinath in the upstream part of the Alaknanda valley is very
prone to landslides.

A few problematic landslides along Chamoli-Badrinath sector of NH-58

The intensity and severity of landslide hazards can be minimized by efficient disaster mitigation andmanagement. There are many issues and challenges which should be addressed for successful landslide
mitigation. A few of the important issues that need scientific interventions are hazard and risk

assessment, landslide monitoring & early warning, landslide mitigation measures, education, training
and public awareness. The prime components of landslide disaster mitigation are hazard & risk
assessment, early warning and control measures. Landslide hazard and risk assessment is the first step
towards mitigation & management plan. This can be accomplished by several approaches starting fromcreating database of existing landslides to the advanced techniques of landslide hazard/susceptibility
mapping based on statistical modeling. Such landslide hazard/susceptibility maps of different regions of
the country have been prepared by various researchers. Most commonly used techniques are qualitative
map combination, information model, bi-variate and multivariate statistical methods, and soft computing
techniques. The major concern regarding these maps are the small scale mapping due to which detailed
information about the impending hazard are mostly missing.

Components of landslide disaster mitigation
Instrumentation and monitoring of landslide provides valuable data for temporal prediction of landslide
which can be used as landslide early warning. A real time landslide monitoring system is an effective
way to get a lead time for the necessary preparedness to face the hazard. As majority of the landslides
are triggered by rainfall, it is essential to know the relationship between rainfall and incidence oflandslides in a region for development of an early warning system. The landslide prediction model canbe developed by modeling landslide events and rainfall to determine the critical rainfall threshold value
for landslide occurrence. The commonly used landslide monitoring instruments are bore hole & wire
extensometers, inclinometers, tilt meters, crack meters, piezometers along with rain gauzes. These days
monitoring of ground movement by differential GPS is also being used for landslide monitoring.

Landslide frequency and consequences can be minimized by taking effective mitigation measures. To
recommend a suitable remedial measure, a thorough knowledge of the landslide should be known which
requires an in-depth scientific investigation. Effective landslide stabilization depends on investigation,
selection of appropriate measure, precise design, construction methods and implementation cost. There
are various landslide control measure techniques available today. In most of the cases water is the main
culprit for triggering landslide and hence drainage measure is the most important remedial measure.
Retaining structures are the second important remedial measures which are most commonly used. These
include a variety of walls such as concrete masonry wall, gabion wall, crib wall, soil reinforced wall etc.
Soil reinforcement by various techniques such as soil nailing, geogrid reinforcement etc and applicationof bio-engineering measures are now being widely used for unstable soil slopes. The impact of debris
flow, which has the most disastrous effect, can be minimized by putting check dams made of various
geo-materials. The other catastrophic events often resulted from rock slides and rock falls can bechecked by rock bolts and anchors and installing rock catch fences. In case of multiple measures, it isrecommended that all the prescribed measures should be implemented in an integrated way. Partial
implementation of measures does not solve the problem.
The impact and socio-economic cost due to slope failures and landslides are much higher anddifficult to estimate because of damages to houses and other civil engineering structures, frequent
blockade of roads and lifelines, damage to communication facilities water supply, power supply etc.
Disaster management associated with hill slope instability should address: proper land use plans,
enforcement of building codes and good construction practice, early warning systems, construction ofcontrol measures, community preparedness and awareness building. A mitigation strategy would
involve: identification of possible disaster triggering scenarios, and the associated hazard level; analysisof possible consequences for the different scenarios; assessment of possible measures to reduce and/or
eliminate the potential consequences of the danger; recommendation of specific remedial measure.

Bio-Engineering Treatment Of Mass Erosion Affected Areas

S.S. Shrimali , G.P.Juyal , P.K. Mishra**
Indian Institute of Soil and Water Conservation (Formerly CSWCRTI)
218, Kaulagarh road Dehradun – 248 195

Abstract

Minespoils, landslides and torrents are mass wasting, causing heavy soil erosion and massive
degradation of land and water resources. The soil erosion may be as high as 550 t/ha annum at suchdegraded sites compared to 3 t/ha/annum from a well forested watershed(Juyal et al., 1995). They

cause considerable damage to the ecosystem and pose a constant threat to the life and property of the
inhabitants. The present paper discusses the mass erosion problems prevalent in the north western
Himalayan region including the mine spoils, landslides and torrents. It also suggest the rehabilitation
measures which can be adopted in the region including Bio- engineering and engineering measures
which have found effective in implementation in the field. These measures include slope stabilization
measures, bank protection measures, channel stabilization and torrent control measures. Result of a casestudy of Sahastradhara rehabilitation project has also been discussed.

Slope Stabilization and Landslide mitigation using Reinforced Earth Technology
Atanu Adhikari
Reinforced Earth Pvt. Ltd.
Abstract

Landslides are one of the natural disasters caused due to downward and outward movement of slope.
Landslides mainly occur in the form of shallow or deep-seated slip circles due to high built-up waterpressures and phreatic lines, erosion of hill slope, erosion of river embankment and sloughing fromheavy down pour and flash flooding. Throughout history, landslides have had disastrous consequencescausing enormous economic losses and heavy loss of life affecting the social fabric. This paper presents
that Reinforced Earth® technique can help mitigate the consequences of such natural disasters byproviding protection though its intrinsic, resilient characteristics. The paper also illustrates that
Reinforced Earth® techniques are viable to improve the stability of vertical cuts and failed slopes
substantiated with a case study.

Landslide Problems In The Colombian Andes, South America Evaluation,
Prevention And Control
Manuel García-López, C.E., MSCE
Emeritus Professor, National University of Colombia,
Cofounder and Full Professor, Colombian College of Engineering
Bogotá, COLOMBIA

Abstract
Colombia has been affected by natural disasters related to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions,flooding and mass movements, which have inflicted heavy human and material losses. Slope failures ofvaried types and sizes are common occurrence, most of them related to rainfall and weathering or
earthquake-induced. Landslide dams and the subsequent debris avalanches and mudflows caused by thedam breakage are also frequent. Lahars associated with the 1985 El Ruiz Volcano eruption caused theworst natural catastrophe in Colombian history. A system of Disaster Prevention was implemented as ananswer to the effects of this event. Several cities and rural communities are located in high risk zones, sothat public awareness, hazard zoning and research have been increased in the last decades. In this papera brief mention of the geographical, geological and climate conditions of the country, in relation tonatural hazards, is made. Several cases of landslides, mudflows and avalanches, and the results of anational inventory of landslides in the highway network are described. Finally some comments on themethodology to evaluate mass movement risks and to study unstable zones are given.

Landslide Prevention, Control and Mitigation
Kishore Kumar
Chief Scientist, Geotechnical Engineering Area
CSIR- Central Road Research Institute, New Delhi 10025
kishornhrm@gmail.com
Abstract
A large number of landslides occur/ recur every year in some or other parts of the country, whichcost us thousands of human lives and huge monetary losses by destruction of infrastructures andsettlements. Highways which are primary surface communication means for catering all the needs of the
inhabitants, tourists, pilgrims and armed forces in the border areas are among the most widely sufferedinfrastructure. CSIR-Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), being a premier road research laboratory
in the country also deals with landslide hazards related to highways. CSIR-CRRI have been engaged inlandslide hazard studies since its inception and worked on a number of unstable slopes along various
highways all over the country including Uttarakhand. It is found that, depending upon the local
conditions and triggering factors, landslide may differ from each other in their failure mechanism, type,
shape, size, effect, importance etc. Hence, the remedial measures for their prevention and control or
mitigation of their negative impact on various elements may also vary. However, there are measures
which can be replicated in somewhat similar site conditions. In this presentation, author will discuss theefforts CSIR-CRRI has made towards landslide prevention, control and mitigation, through some of therecent case records of landslide studies on design of suitable remedial measures in different parts of thecountry.

Mitigation and Management of Destabilized Slopes in Road Planning andConstruction
Dr Takano
JICA Road Expert in India
Abstract

The government of Japan and JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) will start Yen
Loan Assistance on road construction in North East States in mountainous area. JICA will also starttechnical cooperation on guidelines for mountainous road construction (planning, tunnel, slope
protection, high pier bridges, etc.). In this technical area, MLIT (Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism of Japan) has various knowledge and experience.

Therefore, the purpose of this presentation is to make provisions for mitigation and managementof destabilized slopes in road planning and construction in India.

Challenges of slope stabilization in climatically and tectonically sensitive Himalaya:
A case study of Mandakini River Valley after the heavy rainfall of June, 2013

Y.P. Sundriyal
Department of Geology,
HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar, Uttarakhand
Email: ypsundriyal@gmail.com

Abstract
During June 2013, Uttarakhand Himalaya witnessed heavy rainfall which caused large- scaleslope destabilization and generation of huge amount of the sediments that clogged and changed coursesof the rivers in Uttarakhand at various places. Changed river courses washed away infrastructure locatedon the landform along the river banks.
In Garhwal Himalaya main landforms are: Moraines, reworked moraines, Palaeo-landslides,
debris flow, colluvial and fluvial terraces. On these landforms infrastructure are located and at very few
places infrastructures are located on hard rocks. These all landforms are highly sensitive to water action
either it is rainfall, toe cutting of rivers or impact of snow / glacial avalanche. Slopes of the Himalaya
are very steep particularly in Garhwal Himalaya and these steep slopes gives high energy to even short
lived streams which can damage any infrastructure which come across. During June 2013 major riversof the Uttarakhand were clogged by huge amount of the sediments. The sediments were contributed
from two major sources viz. the moraines and alluvial fans located in the Higher Himalaya and by thelandslides in the Higher and Lesser Himalaya.
In Uttarakhand Himalaya flash floods are usually caused by high intensity focused rainfall inareas of orographic barrier, particularly in river valleys that are located in the south of the tectonically
active Main Central Thrust where the hill slopes are precariously balanced. Slope instability caused due
to increased pore water pressure in the south of MCT led to the obstruction of the stream course andfinally breaching of such obstruction results in highly peaked flood hydrograph carrying voluminous ofsediments downstream. This presentation is based on the studies carried out in Mandakini valley.
Geomorphologically, Mandakini valley can be divided into three broad zones:
A. the Upper glaciated zone (>3500m) located above Kedarnath valley
B. The middle paraglacial zone located between Kedarnath and Gaurikund (<3500 -2000m)

C. The lower fluvial zone (< 2000 m) below SitapurOur observations for unprecedented devastation around Kedarnath caused due to the watercascade effect of water flowing through steep gradient streams (270 meter per kilometer).

Further downstream between Kedarnath and Gaurikund although river gradient decreased to 138
meter per kilometer. Major volume of the sediments was trapped Sonprayag and Sitapur village where
the stream gradient drops significantly 23 meter per kilometer. At these location river bed level was at1611 m before the flood and rose to 1640 m after the flood implying of river bed ~29 meter due tosediment. Mandakini valley widens after crossing MCT at Kund village where the gradient drop down
to the 6 meter per kilometer.

(Fig. 1. Longitudinal profile of Mandakini river showing distinct slope breaks around Kedarnath,Rambara and Sonprayag-Sitapur (inset: section enlarged between Kedarnath and Sitapur). These
discontinuities acted as depocenters for the sediments transported down valley from Kedarnath).
The above river gradient reflects the slope conditions of the Mandakini valley. Geotechnically aparticular landslide may be protected by using adequate technology but in the mountainous region
particularly in Mandakini, Alaknanda, Bhagirathi and Yamuna valley it would-be a challenging task tostabilize hill slopes by using technology of slope stabilization beside the bioengineering technology. If
we see rainfall pattern of the different valleys it varies valley to valley and place to place therefore it isalso important to install good quality of the rain gauges to collect the rainfall data and on the basis of
rainfall data rain shadow zones should be identified, which might be a comparatively good locations forrehabilitation purpose.

Beside the heavy and focused rainfall blasting (being used for road widening and construction of
new roads, hydro power projects etc) should be prohibited which destabilize the slopes directly andfacilitates destabilization of hill slopes indirectly). Further, the terrain north of the Main Central Thrust(Higher Himalaya) should be kept free from any major intrusion including the hydropower projects. The
study necessitate immediate critical re-evaluation of the existing mountain development policy andapproach towards harnessing the natural resources of Himalaya particularly enormous hydropower
potential of the Himalayan region in general and Uttarakhand Himalaya in particular.

Annexure B: Participants
1. Dr. Shantanu Sarkar
Sr. Pr. Scientist and Group Leader
Central Building Research Instituteshantanu_cbri@yahoo.co.in ssarkar@cbri.res.in
9411100993
2. Dr. Ajay Kumar Naithani
Scientist EII and HOD
National Institute of Rock Mechanics
ajay_naithani@hotmail.com
9481434153
3. Dr. Y. P. Sundriyal
Professor
Department of Geology, HNB Garhwal University, Srinagar, (Garhwal)
ypsundriyal@yahoo.co.in ypsundriyal@gmail.com
01370-267391 & 9412079912
4. Jitin Mukheja
Regional Sales Manager
Geobrugg India Pvt. Ltd.
jitin.mukhea@geobrugg.com
987365414
5. Dr. Sanjay Kumar Sharma
Professor
IIT (NHU), Varanasi
sksharma.min@itbhu.ac.in
9450950078
6. Dr. Satyendra Mittal
Associate Professor
Civil Engg. Dept.
satyendramittal@gmail.com
9412074237, 9760014237
7. Dr. Tapas Ranjan Martha
Scientist SE
National Remote Sencing Centre
tapas_martha@nrsc.gov.in
9490976367
8. Dr. Vikram Gupta
Scientist
Wadia Institute of Himalyan Geology

vgupta@wihg.res.in
9411528837
9. Dr. V. K. Sharma
Director
Geology Servey of India
vksharma_gsi@yahoo.co.in
9412056987
10. Yudhbir
Formerly Professor of Civil Engg. IIT Kanpur
Cornell University Geotechnical Engineering
yudhbir2002@yahoo.co.in
9897398878
11. Harish Bahuguna
Superintending Geologist
Geological Survey of India
hb185@rediffmail.com
9456595387, 9411521814
12. S S Shrimali
Sr. Scientist
IISWC
shrimaliss@gmail.com
9412054386
13. Karma Dorji
Chief Engineer
Department of Roads
karmad@mowhs.gov.bt
06365316 & 17611131
14. Yoshikazu Taniguchi
Representative
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
taniguchi.yushikazu@jica.go.jp
9811210759
15. Ai Tachikawa
Representative
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
tachikawa.ai@jica.go.jp
9810072138
16. Hiroshi Higashiguchi

Programme Specialist
Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
higashiguchi.hiroshi@jica.go.jp
9650591571
17. Mr. Tatsuo Tanaka
JICA expert
NHAI (National Highway Authority of India)
tkktakano@yahoo.co.jp
9717556957
18. Takufumi Ishikawa
Group Manager
Nippon Steel & Sumikin Metal Productions
tak.ishikawa@gmail.com
8080208959
19. Reiko Abe
President
Oriental Consultant India Pvt. Ltd.
aber@oriconsul.com
9018997687
20. Mr. Masanori Tozawa
Engineer (Geotechnical/Civil)
Oriental Consultant Co. Ltd.
masa.tozawa@atk.eng.jp & dolphin.sun.set.wave@gmail.com
9016972464
21. Dr. Pankaj Jaiswal
Superintending Geologist
Geological Survey of India
pankaj.jaiswal2@gmail.com
9433186546
22. Amitabh SharanEngg. Geologist & Geotech Consultant
Freelancer & Founder Director ''Excelling Geo & Engineering Consultant Pvt. Ltd.
amitabhsharan.geo@gmail.com & ege.consultant@gmail.com
8901188736/9818873500/8447850370
23. Charu Chandra Pant
Professor of Geology, Former Dean, Faculty of Science
Kumaun University, Nainital 263002, UK
ccpgeol@ gmail.com
9412327275

24. Andrew M Bogle
Team Leader
Louis Berger
abogle@louisberger.com
981 667 0623
25. Yuka Makino
Senior Operations Officer
Disaster Risk Management Hub, Tokyo, the World Bankymakino@worldbank.org
26. Rolf August
Consulting Engineer
rolfaugust.studer@gmail.com, studer.vsg@hispeed.ch0041 26 401 02 45 (home); 0041 79 917 46 01 (mobile)
27. Mr. Krishna Pandey
Engineer
Government of Nepal, Ministry of Irrigation, Department of water Induced Disaster prevention
Kpawan61@yahoo.com
9851121686
28. Mr. Rajeev Kumar Vishnoi
General Manager
THDC India Ltd.
rkvishnoi2001@yahoo.com
9719653930
29. Mr. Manuel Garcia Lopez
1- Emeritus Professor 2- General Manager
1- National University of Colombia 2- Ingenieria Geotecnia SAS, Consulting Engineers
igl_mgl@yahoo.com
57 3153111233
30. Ashish Gharpure
COO & Director
Maccaferri Environmental Solutions Pvt. Ltd
aghurpure@maccaferri-india.com
9545533002
31. K Navaneeth Kumar
Manager Designs
Garware - Wall Ropes ltd.
nkumar@garwareropes.com
9552554407

32. Atanu Adhikari
Principal Engineer (Design & Development)
Reinforced Earth India Pvt. Ltd.
atanuadhikari@recoindia.com
9818171763
33. Piyoosh Rautela
Executive Director
DMMC
rautelapiyoosh@gmail.com
9412054085
34. Kishor Kumar
Chief Scientist and Adviser
CSIR- Central Road Research Institutekishornhrm@gmail.com
91-911211512
35. Chandan Ghosh
Professor & Head [Geohazards Division]
National Institute Of Disaster Management, Ministry Of Home Affairs
cghosh24@gmail.com
99686 68503
36. Shila Shrestha
Engineer
Banepa Sindhuli, Bardibas Project Office (DOR)
shila_shrestha2000@hotmail.com
9841537837
37. B. D. Patni
Chief (Engg. Geology)
NHPC
bdpatni@rediffmail.com
9910033404

Annexure C: Program Schedule
Day 1
Date: 27th April, 2015

Time: 7:00 am - 9:00 pm

Field Visit
S. No.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Activity
All participants assemble at hotel “Four Points by
Sheraton”
Departure for field visit to slide “Sirobagar” and “Sakni
Dhar”
Site visit of “Sirobagar” slide zone near Srinagar – slide
inspection and on-site discussions
Lunch
Departure for “Sakni Dhar” slide zone
Site visit of “Sakni Dhar” slide zone near Devprayag slide inspection and on-site discussions
Tea at Kodiyala
Departure for Dehradun
Arrival at hotel Four Points by SheratonTime
6:45 am
7:00 am
11:30 am
1: 30 pm
2:30 pm
5:00 pm
5:30 pm
6: 00 pm
9: 00 pm

Day 2
Opening Ceremony
Date: 28th April, 2015
S. No
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10

Time: 9:30 am - 11:00 am

Activity
Registration
Opening Ceremony
Arrival of Hon’ble Chief Minister
Welcome address by Additional Chief Secretary
Lighting of lamp by Hon’ble Chief Minister
Address by Chief Secretary
Address by Deputy Country Director, the World Bank; and Chief
Representative, Japan International Cooperation Agency
Address by Honb’le Chief Minister
Vote of thanks and setting of workshop goals by World Bank
Operations Specialist for UDRP
Tea

Time
9 am
9: 30 am
10 am
10:10 am
10:20 am
10:20 am
10:40 am
10: 50 am
11:00 amSession1: Discussion on the field visit and observation
Date: 28th April, 2015

Time: 11:30am-1:30 pm

Chairman & Moderator: Prof Yudhbir; Repertoire: Mr Kishore Kumar
S.No

Name of theParticipants

Presentation Topic

1.

Prof.Yudhbir

2.

Rajendra Bhasin

3.

Frode Sandersen

4.

All present

Control and Remediation ofLandslides
Application of Ground Penetrating
Radar(GPR) for Landslides
investigations with examples fromSouth and South East Asia
Landslide mitigation strategies with
examplesQ & A on the presentations

5.

All present

6.

Name of
Organiz
ation

Time

11:30 am to 11: 45 am
NGI

11:45 am to 12:00 pm

NGI

12:00 pm to 12:15 pm
12: 15 pm to 12:25 pm

Discussion on the field visit andobservations
LUNCH

12:25 pm to 1:30 pm
1:30 pm to 2:00 pm

Session 2: Landslide Risk Assessment and Early Warning System
Date: 28th April, 2015

Time: 2:00pm-5:00 pm

Chairman & Moderator: Prof Satyendra Mittal Repertoire: Dr Ajay Kumar Naithani
S.No
1.

Name of theParticipant
Reiko Abe2.

P.K. Champati
Ray

3.

Pankaj Jaiswal

4.

Vikram Gupta

5.

Y.P. Sundriyal

Presentation Topic
Safety Management and combination
Monitoring of Landslide using on sitevisualization, simple Weather Radar andSatellite Imagery
Remote Sensing and GIS for Landslide
Hazard Mitigation:Priorites for
Uttarkhand
Challenges in Landslide Early Warning
for a catchment area and a way forward
Towards Establishing Rainfall thresholdlandslides for triggering landslides for
the Uttarakhand Himalaya
Geology and Geomorphology of
Mandakini valley and terrain response of

Name of theOrganization
Oriental
Consultant(JICA)

Time
2:00 pm to 2:15 pm

IIRS

2:15 pm to 2:30 pm

GSI

2:30 pm to 2: 45 pm

Wadia

2:45 pm to 3:00 pm

HNB Garhwal
University

3: 00 pm to 3:15 pm

6.

Tapas R.
Marthahigh rainfall event
Landslide studies using space-based
inputs7.

Charu Chandra
Pant

Problems of Instability in Nainital : A
case study

8.

AshishGharpure

Natural Hazard Mitigation Measures

9.
10.

All present

Discussion/ Q & A

SrinagarNational
RemoteSensing Centre(NRSC (ISRO),
KumaounUniversity,
Nainital
Maccaferri
Environmental
Solutions Pvt.
Ltd

3: 15 pm to 3:30 pm

3:30 pm to 3:45 pm

3:45 pm to 4:00 pm

4:00 pm to 4: 40 pm
4:40 pm to 5:10 pm

Tea

Session 3: Slope Stabilization Methods/Technologies used in India
Date: 28th April, 2015

Time: 05:15 pm-7:30 pm

Chairman & Moderator: Dr. V.K. Sharma Repertoire: Dr Vikram Gupta
S.No

Name of theParticipant

Presentation Topic

1.

Chandan Ghosh

2.

Harish Bahuguna

3.

S.K Sharma

4.

Ajay Kumar Naithani

5.

Rajeev Visnoi

6.

Jitin Mukheja

Reconstruction Measures in
Uttarkhand-Some Technical
Solution
Slope Stabilisation
Methods/Technologies in India
Slope Stabilization issues in large
scale Rock Masses
Engineering Geological
Investigation and Mitigation
Measures of Artificial slopes-A
case study
Integrated
Approachfor
Stabilization of “Varunavat
Parvat” landslide – a case study
Slope Stabilization products casestudies from Indian Projects

7.

All participants

Discussion/ Q & A

Name of theOrganization

Time

NIDM

5:15 pm to 5:30 pm

UJVNL

5:30 pm to 5:45 pm

IIT(BHU)

5: 45 pm to 6 pm

NIRM

6:00 pm to 6:15 pm

THDC India
Ltd.

6:15 pm to 6:30 pm

Geoburgg
India Pvt.
Ltd.

6:30 pm to 6:45 pm

6:45 pm to 7: 30 pm

Day 3Session 4: Slope Stabilization Methods/Technologies used in the South and South
East-Asia Region
Date: 29th April, 2015

Time: 09:00 am - 11:30 am

Chairman & Moderator: Prof Chandan Ghosh Repertoire: Mr Harish Bahuguna
S.No

Name of theParticipant

Presentation topic

1.

Takafumi
Ishikawa

2.

Satyendra Mittal

3.

Masanori Tozawa
andKarma Dorji

Solution package for Landslides
debris flow by Utilizing “NonFrame Methods “Steel Slit Dam”
introduced in Southeast Area
Successful handling of Slopestabilization and Landslide
prevention through soil nailing
Introduction of the project for a
Master Plan Study on Road slope
Management in Bhutan

Shantanu Sarkar
4.

S.S .Shrimali

5.

K. Navaneeth
Kumar

6.

Atanu Adhikari

7.
8.

All participants

Landslide Hazard Mitigation:
Issue and Challenges
Bio-Engineering treatment ofMass Erosion Affected areas
INTERVENTION TECHNOLOGIESFOR LANDSLIDES, ROCKFALLMITIGATION AND EROSIONCONTROL
Slope Stabilization and Landslide
Mitigation using Reinforced Earth
Technology
Discussion/ Q & A
TEA

Name of theOrganization

Time

NipponSteel(IITA)(JICA)

9:00 am to 9:15 am

IITR

9:15 am to 9:30 am

Environmental
Pollution
Controller, P.E.
Japan (JICA)
CBRI

9:30 am to 9:45 am

IISWC

10:00 am to 10:15 am

Garware-Wall
Ropes Ltd.

10:15 am to 10:30 am

Reinforced
Earth pvt. Ltd.

10:30 am to 10:45 am

9:45 pm to 10:00 pm

10: 45 am to 11: 30 am
11: 30 am to 12:00 pm

Session 5: Slope Stabilization Methods/Technologies used Globally
Date: 29th April, 2015

Time: 12:00 pm-1:30 pm

Chairman & Moderator: Dr.Fausto Guzzetti Repertoire: Ms Yuka Makino
S.No

Name of theParticipant

1.

Rolf August Studer

2.

Manuel GARCIALOPEZ
Kishore Kumar

3.

Presentation Topic

4.

Krishna Bahadur
Pande

5.

Mr. Tatsuo Takano

6.
7.

All participants

Landslide Stabilization in the
Colombian Andes
Landslide Prevention, Control
and Mitigation
Countermeasure works tostabilize slopes and footprotection work in Sindhu
Mitigation and Management of
Destabilized Slopes in Road
Planning and Construction

Name Of theOrganization

Time

Kirchenfeldstrasse,
World Bank Consultant
National University ofColombia
CRRI

12:00 pm to 12:15 pm

Ministry of
Irrigation(Govt of
Nepal)
Advisor for Capacity
Development on
Highway/Expressway(JICA)

12:45 pm to 1:00 pm

Discussion/ Q & A
LUNCH

12:15 pm to 12:30 pm
12:30 pm to 12:45 pm

1:00 pm to 1:30 pm

1:30 pm to 1:45 pm
1:45 pm to 2: 15 pm

Session 6: Open Discussion/ Brainstorming on the Uttarakhand Challenge
Date: 29th April, 2015

Time: 2:00 pm - 4:15 pm

Chairman & Moderator: Prof Yudhbir; Repertoire: Dr. Girish Chandra Joshi
Valedictory Session – 4: 15 to 5:00 pm

Annexure D: Field Visit Description
LANDSLIDE AT KALIASAUR (SIROBAGAR) ON NH – 58, DISTT. PAURIGARHWAL, UTTARAKHAND
Location
Kaliasaur landslide (Lat. 300 15’: Long 780 53’) also known as Sirobagar landslide, is located on
Haridwar – Badrinath highway (NH-58), 18 km East of Srinagar town. The toe of the slide is on a sharp
bend on the left bank of Alaknanda river.
Background Information
This monstrous slide is ominous for its menacing effects since 1920’s. A number of slides haveoccurred at this location, in 1952, 1963, 1965 and 1969. The slide on 19th Sept. 1969 blocked 3/4th
width of the river which is flowing about 100m below the road level. About 300m stretch of the roadwas badly damaged. The crown portion of the slide extended nearly 120m above the road. This slide
movement continued to be active for over two weeks.
During 1970, 1971, and 1972 the land slide occurred again thereby disrupting the communication
system and each time new bench had to be cut. Following heavy rainfall during August – Sept. 1984, amajor landslide occurred which damaged the road considerably and retrogressively extended the scar.
The slide in 1985 engulfed a total area of 86000m2 above and below road.
It was largely dormant till 2006 after which it got reactivated and is recurring since then.
Geology
The slide area is located in the Lesser Himalayan block bounded in the North by MCT and in theSouth by MBT. Rocks belonging to Garhwal group are exposed in the area which consist of quartzite’s ,limestone’s and dolomites which in turn have been intruded by the basic bodies. Section along the roadand river reveals two type of quartzites i) light green quartzite with thin bands of maroon shale and ii)
massive and well jointed yellowish quartzite. On the Western side of the slide zone the light green
quartzite are exposed and they show southward dip with amounts ranging from 25dgrees – 60degree.
These quartzites end abruptly along a scree zone beyond which massive yellowish quartzites dipping at
300 – 400 towards south-east are exposed. It is apprehended that the scree zone conceals a fault zone
trending NE – SW and it extends across the river. The massive quartzites abut against the slide debris on
the western most flank of the slide. On the eastern side the light green quartzites with maroon shales are
exposed and they are dipping 30degree – 60degree towards south-east.
Mechanism
Sliding at the interface of the quartzite and maroon shales must presumably have been the starting
point. Road construction and repeated back cutting required for restoring the road width. Poor drainage
in the slide affected area. Recurring debris slides in the colluvium cover on the slopes. Removal of thevegetal cover because of many reasons. Toe cutting by the mighty Alaknanda river.

Remedial Measures
Following remedial measures were suggested adopted for the stabilization of the slide i) Grading of
the slopes, ii) Provision of the surface and subsurface drainage system, iii) Timber piling for stitching
the debris cover onto the slopes, iv) Construction of retaining and breast walls, check walls etc. and v)
Afforestation measures.

View of Kaliasaur Landslide in 1980’s

View of Kaliasaur Landslide in 2013

LANDSLIDE AT SAKNIDHAR ON NH-58, DISTT. TEHRI GARHWAL,UTTARAKHAND

Location:- Saknidhar (968.10 masl), is located about 50 km from Rishikesh town at CH.
277.800 km on Rishikesh-Joshimath-Mana Highway (NH-58).
Background Information:- Saknidhar landslide originated in the rainy season of 2010 andthereafter it has reoccurred on 10 different occasions, disrupting the traffic for an average 3.00
hour’s duration. Originally the 25 m length of the road was affected by this slide which in due
course enlarged by three times since then. Head ward retrogression of this slide is evident by
the shifting of its crown level from its previous level i.e (±) 25 m from the road level to thepresent (±) 50 m level.
Geology:- Geologically this slide zone is located in the Lesser Himalayan Zone bounded
between the Main Central Thrust (MCT) and the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) in its northand south direction respectively. The rocks belonging to Chakrata Formation are exposed inthis stretch of the road which is represented by the massive, hard, purple and maroon colored
quartzites with thin chlorite partings at this section. These rock masses are dipping towards the
NW direction with the dip amounts ranging between 200 - 270. The rock mass has been
dissected by four prominent joint sets and most of the joints, except bedding planes, are open
and occasionally filled by the crushed and graded material. The rocks exposed adjacent to theslide zone are highly distressed in nature. The slide mass bears a very steep angle. The material
involved in the sliding is of heterogeneous nature, it is debris at the toe and belly level while
the soil containing rock chips at the crown part.
The ground reveals that the slope below the road is stable while the slide above theroad is still active as evident by the now and then dry debris flow.
The hill side excavation in order to widen the road is the possible triggering
mechanism of this slide.
All the protective measures i.e., construction of hill side retaining wall in order tostabilize this slide were failed.

Saknidhar LandslideAnnexure E: Symposium Photographs

Inaugural Session attended by the Hon’ble Chief Minister Shri. Harish Rawat Ji

Symposium Sessions

Field Visit to Kaliasaur and Saknidhar landslides

Group Photograph of All Participants