STABILITY ASSESSMENT OF SLOPES ALONG NH-44, JAMMU- SRINAGAR

Abstract

To determine the effect of precipitation on the stability of slopes along NH-44, Jammu Srinagar, a study was conducted to compare the stability of slopes under normal or no rainfall conditions and during conditions of intense rainfall. Both in terms of human deaths and economic damages, landslides have wreaked tremendous havoc. Identifying the hotspot locations for landslide occurrences is essential for mitigating the damage caused by landslides. Five slopes from an area prone to landslides are chosen for stability investigation. The research was undertaken in 3 parts: geotechnical soil assessment, ten-year rainfall data analysis, and numerical evaluation. For numerical analysis, GeoStudio 2018 R2's SEEP/W and SLOPE/W modules were utilized. In steady seepage analysis, annual average rainfall was utilized to determine the initial condition of pore water pressure within the slope, whereas in transient seepage analysis, maximum daily rainfall over the period of one day was used. The factor of safety of slopes was determined using the limit equilibrium-based Morgenstern and Price approach. It was determined that, under normal conditions, all slopes were stable with the exception of the slope at location S1. A substantial decrease in FOS was seen during a one-day episode of intense rainfall in the selected slopes due to reduction in matric suction and subsequent rise of water table.