Research Roundup
Characterizing rock-mass hillslopes in Ladakh Himalaya; implications for sustainable development.
Jamir I, Suresh ND, Lakshmi KJ p., Ray L, Kumar V.
ENVIRONMENT, DEVELOPMENT and SUSTAINABILITY
Our study reveals that the existence of unstable slopes is a major concern for the fast-growing infrastructure in Ladakh. In all 65 test locations that include Puga, Leh, and Panamik, kinematics and statistical tests show that while 86% of rock mass is very competent from the conventional engineering standpoint, a remarkable 52% still remains kinematically unstable. The cause for this is mainly because of the high slope angles that go beyond 60°. As multi-crore highway expansions and urban growth aggressively daylight unfavourable joint planes, compounding triggers like earthquakes and cloudbursts drastically heighten regional disaster vulnerability.
Fig: Temporal pattern of development and disaster components. (a) Total highway length, built-up, and avg. economic investment, (b) Human population and tourist influx, (c) Monthly rainfall, earthquake. magnitude/ and focus and GLOF & cloudburst/flash flood events.
