Investigation and Control of Narayanbagar Landslide, District Chamoli, Uttaranchal, India – A Case Study

Incidences of landslide hazards are quite common in the hilly terrain of Himalayas. These landslides not only damage the hill slopes causing enormous loss of slope forming materials but also become responsible for creating frequent disturbances to the moving traffics on hill roads and consequent adverse socio-economic impacts to the communities. As road communication system is the only lifeline for the people residing in the hilly terrain of Himalayas, detailed scientific study of landslide-affected area is , therefore, very much essential to overcome all sorts of geo-environmental and socio-economic problems created by the landslide. Numbers of landslides have already occurred along the stretch of the hill slope adjoining the Almora – Baijnath – Gowaldam – Karanprayag (A-BG- K) State Highway, located in Uttaranchal, in India. The present paper deals with such a problematic Narayanbagar Landslide at 129 km on this Highway. This landslide affected area is situated within the vicinity of Narayanbagar town on the left bank of River Pinder. This is the only road, which connects the two Commissionaires (Garhawal and Kumaun) of Uttaranchal State. Because of the present existing situation of Narayanbagar, which is lying very close to the boundary of Almora and Berinag Nappe, the geology has played a very important major role in creating slope instability in this area. Both geological and geo-technical studies have, therefore, been carried out with a view to understand the cause and mechanism of failure of the hill slope materials and to suggest the best possible suitable remedial measures to stabilize the Narayanbagar landslide affected area