Studies on Environmental Degradation by Bani and Kardoo Landslides in Jammu and Kashmir State

Two major notorious landslides occur in the Bani-Basholi road in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir State. Among many other causes such as deforestation, high relief and brittle nature of rocks, the main cause of landslides revealed from the field investigation, was great water ingress present in rocks in the form of springs, nallas and snow cover by way of glaciers on top cliffs. Great water ingress is also confirmed by chemical analysis and also by thin section studies of sediments of both the landslides. The problem gets compounded during excessive rains when phyllite-slaty and quartzitic rocks develop shear joints, resulting in breaking apart big rock blocks from the main mass turning into huge scree material and finally getting accumulated on the road. For mitigation of the landslides restraining structures and shaft work at vulnerable points in the crown portion is needed. Trees with long ischolar_mains in the watersheds and also vetiver grass should be grown in the whole belt from Bani to Kardoo as a soil binder to check mass wastage. Breast walls with weep holes along roadside from Bani to Kardoo are very much needed. Besides these measures for the two slides, a special method for the proper disposal of runoff in case of Kardoo landslide, where ingress of water is many times more than Bani, is suggested. Runoff in this method is disposed off by digging wells radially and correcting the same to the horizontal tunnels (Tunaki model).