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Soil Improvement in the Hilly Areas of District Mandi (H.P.)

Technical Report · March 2015

DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.29403.82729

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Proceedings of State Level Fair at Sundernagar, Himachal Pradesh, India 175018 March 2015

Soil Improvement in the Hilly Areas of District Mandi (H.P.)

Vinayak Kaushal
Final Year Student
Bachelor of Technology (Civil Engineering)
Jawaharlal Nehru Government Engineering College Sundernagar
District Mandi, Himachal Pradesh-175018
Email ID: vinayakkaushal4449@gmail.com

Soil improvement means improving the weight bearing capabilities and performance
of in-situ sub-soils, sands, and other waste materials lying on the hilly slopes and areas in
order to strengthen its contact surface.
In Himachal Pradesh, many districts including Chamba, Kullu, Kangra, Una,
Hamirpur, Mandi, and Bilaspur lie in seismic zone V. Since the earthquake database is still
incomplete, especially with regards to earthquakes prior to the historical period (before
1800 A.D.), the zoning offers a rough indication of the earthquake hazard in any particular
region and it needs to be updated regularly (1).
Mandi is one of the districts which lie in the seismic zone V and areas in the district
which have unstable soil include Gumma, Dehar and hilly areas of Sundernagar. These hilly
areas are prone to natural elements like high speed winds, heavy rainfall, cloud bursts, flash
floods and frequent landslides. These natural disasters cause annual losses to life and
property. Therefore, it is important to improve the quality of soil located in such areas.
The soil which is found in Gumma and Dehar, both earthquake prone areas in Mandi
District, are alkaline due to presence of salts, whereas the soil found in the hilly areas of
Sundernagar is both acidic and basic. Due to the acidic and basic character of soil, usually
found on the slopes, it is unstable and hence is unfit to be used as a construction material.
During seismic events, the soil is displaced and it slides down due to its unstable
character and behaviour, affecting livelihoods and hamper day to day activities in nearby
areas.
Basically, stabilization and improvement enhances the California Bearing Ratio of in-
situ soils by 4 to 6 times and improves on-site materials which then creates a solid and strong
sub-base and base courses and prevents excessive settlement of reclaimed land when it is
being utilised for construction purposes (roads, airports, bridge and other foundations).It
enhances the soil stiffness in order to prevent liquefaction and subsequent damage to
structures in seismically sensitive regions and enhances the shear strength of the soil to
prevent slip failure (2).
Further, improvement in soil enhances the bearing capacity of the soil to immobilise or
stabilise contaminants in dredged soil which prevents environmental nuisances. Soil
improvement techniques vary depending on the characteristics of the soil. Some techniques
are applied to consolidate existing loose subsoil and some are used specifically for
compaction of newly reclaimed soil.
It can be seen that Soil improvement is applied to improve the mechanical
characteristics of contaminated soft soil by immobilising heavy metals and other soil
contaminants. Many techniques have been developed to consolidate contaminated sediments,
such as dewatering the sediment to reduce the quantity of soil, or combining the sediment
with additives, such as mixing sediment with cement which enables the use of the sediments
in construction and reclamation material (3).
In certain regions of Mandi, the frequency of seismic activity can rather be threatening
due to excessive constructions on hilly terrains. Advanced technologies have made steady
advances in developing countermeasures for coping with the threat of seismic instability by

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Proceedings of State Level Fair at Sundernagar, Himachal Pradesh, India 175018 March 2015

limiting the chances of soil liquefaction, but some types of soil improvement methods can
also provide a cost-effective means of reducing soil contamination. The wick drain system is
one method used to hasten the removal of water from soil. The improved soil can be used for
construction projects, eliminating the need to mine new pit sand. The remaining unusable
sediment is reduced in quantity, decreasing the amount of space needed for storage which is
always costly and an environmentally sensitive issue. In addition, when additives such as
cement are used during soil improvement they both increase the bearing capacity of soils for
construction works and also immobilises contaminated marine sediments.
Geotextiles have many applications including filtration and drainage. Specific types of
Geotextiles can also be used for embankment stabilisation and improving the bearing
capacity of soft soil foundations. Attention must be given to the composition of the geotextile
for specific situations. Using a suitable geotextile can increase safety against underground
failure and reduces the settlement of the subsoil foundation. In addition to all other
advantages, improving soil mitigates the instabilities which arises during seismic events and
thus limits the possible catastrophic collapse of subsoil and hence the infrastructure built
upon it.
Therefore, conservation of materials assumes importance in design as well as
construction activities. The use of new materials and technologies is imperative in addition to
the need to lay down standards on strengthening measures for the existing structures, as well
as design parameters for new structures. Hilly areas of Mandi have wide variations in
geology, geomorphology, climate, altitude and materials resources. The varying geological
situations and on-going development activities, climatic variation, hydro geological
conditions result in different types of hazards like landslides, avalanches, mud flows, flash
floods occurring frequently in these areas (2, 4).
Apart from various other catastrophic calamities, these hilly regions are also
vulnerable due to earthquakes as most regions fall under seismic zone V. Hilly regions
pertain to cold humid and temperate humid climate. The climatic conditions are categorised
on basis of average of daily mean temperature and relative humidity for the month.
Emphasis should be laid while designing the layout of buildings, so as to meet the
requirements for proper disposal of rain and sewage water with proper spouts and gutters in
the roof. This prevents generation of undue loading in the foundation or in the retaining wall
due to accumulation of water.
In reclamation projects, the costs of dredging and filling operations, including soil
improvement and building seawalls, are still less than the prices per square metre of existing
land at the waterfront. Reviewing many trials and tests, the conclusion must be drawn that
many options exist which can successfully accelerate the consolidation of soils and dredged
sediment to develop newly reclaimed land and compaction methods to stabilise sub soils in
vulnerable seismic areas. Each technique has its own advantages and disadvantages in
relation to time, cost and performance. The best method is always to consider the specific
needs of a project and contact specialist contractors to evaluate the needs of the project. This
evaluation stage may bring additional costs due to proper preparations like undertaking trials
or field and laboratory testing and intense performance monitoring, additional costs will be
ultimately recuperated via the heightened efficiency with which the land is secured (5).
Therefore, it can be concluded that soil improvement is necessary in the hilly areas
which are prone to natural calamities like high speed winds, heavy rainfall, cloud bursts, flash
floods and frequent landslides which cause annual losses to life and property. Also, such type
of soil is unfit for the construction purposes which make it a matter of concern. So, a well-
managed soil improvement system, appropriate to the site should be incorporated so as to
enhance the prospects of on-time and safe project delivery.

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 Proceedings of State Level Fair at Sundernagar, Himachal Pradesh, India 175018 March 2015

References:

1. Kaushal, V. (2013). "Green Manufacturing." Proc. National Seminar on New

Horizons in Engineering and Technology, India, 2013.
2. Kaushal, V. (2014). “Earthquake Resistant Construction.” Engineering Sciences
International Research Journal, Vol. 2, Issue 1, pp. 185-187, 2014.
3. Kaushal, V. (2015). “Investigation of Flyash-Lime-Gypsum Mix Reinforced with Jute
Fibres.” Bachelor’s Thesis, Jawaharlal Nehru Government Engineering College,
Sundernagar, India.
4. Kaushal, V., and Guleria, S. P. (2015). “Geotechnical Investigation of Black Cotton
Soils.” International Journal of Advances in Engineering Sciences, Vol. 5, Issue 2,
pp. 15-22 (Accepted).
5. Kaushal, V. (2015). “Influence of Jute Fibres on the Unconfined and Compressive
Strength of Alkaline Soil.” Journal of Civil Engineering and Environmental
Technology, Vol. 2, Issue 4, pp. 335-338 (Accepted).

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