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Structures meant to prevent landslides give way on NH-22

SOLAN: Concrete cement structures erected against the hill slopes to prevent landslides from the excavated hills on the Parwanoo-Solan section of National Highway (NH)-22 have failed to serve the purpose.

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Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, August 20

Concrete cement structures erected against the hill slopes to prevent landslides from the excavated hills on the Parwanoo-Solan section of National Highway (NH)-22 have failed to serve the purpose.

This has put a question mark over the engineering adopted by the private company GR Infraprojects, which was engaged in four-laning the NH.

It was surprising to note that these concrete structures, which are supposed to buttress the excavated hill, have failed to sustain the rains. Such structures could be seen hanging down dangerously from the hill slopes at several places.

Such concrete structures have even fallen at several places between Jabli and Kumarhatti after last week’s heavy downpour.

Maximum damage has been caused between Dharampur and Kumarhatti where more than 60 per cent breast walls erected against the hilly slopes have been damaged due to large-scale falling of debris from the excavated hill. This has made driving risky, especially during the night hours.

Though heavy metal sheets have been erected against the hills where excavation work has exposed the hill slopes these have proved insufficient to prevent the damage by the landslides which were visible all along the highway.

Experts say that vertical excavation of hills for 30 feet to 40 feet had made the hills vulnerable to landslides and no amount of concrete structures could help contain the damage. Seepage of water in these structures created cervices which weakened these structures and defeated the very purpose.

Officials of the GR Infraprojects said they were assessing the loss caused in the rains and once the monsoons subsided they would undertake measures to prevent the landslides as the rainy season was not the ideal season to carry out such work.

What experts say

Experts say vertical excavation of hills for 30 feet to 40 feet had made the hills vulnerable to landslides and no amount of concrete structures could help contain the damage. Seepage of water in these structures created cervices which weakened these structures and defeated the very purpose.

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