Kinematic analysis of slopes between Preng and Ganderbal, Jammu and Kashmir Himalaya, India

Slope stability is a matter of concern for many projects such as buildings, bridges, hydro projects, highways, railway, canal and tunnels in hilly terrain. The present study is carried out between Preng and Ganderbal in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kahmir. The Ganderbal hydro project is located on the left bank of the river Sind. The Sind River is one of the tributaries of Jhelum River. Slope Mass Rating (SMR) has been done to identify different classes of slopes, their vulnerability to instability and Kinematic analysis by Markland's Method, as the said method is applied to decipher the possible mode of failure and directions in the study area. The said approach was preferred considering the heterogeneous rock mass and being anisotropic with infinitely variable strength parameters that are difficult to determine precisely.The study concludes with the assessment of rock mass conditions and further categorization into fair and poor categories. As the area is facing the recurrences of mass wasting and slope failures, it could broadly be classified into planar and wedge failure. An attempt has been made for the assessment of the rock mass leading to better alignment of highways, tunnels and to foresee any potential rock slope failure during excavation/construction.SMR study concludes that the area falls in partially stable to unstable class.