Title - Konkan Railway carries out safety checks for the monsoon season

MUMBAI: In order to ensure proper safety measures before the onset of monsoon, Konkan Railway has carried out various 'geo-safety works' on its route.

The intensity of rainfall is very high in the Konkan region. The annual average rainfall here is between 3500 to 4500 mm, with intensity of rainfall frequently exceeding 80mm per hour.

The lateritic rocks, with the lethomargic clay combinations, are having constant geological changes, which can make the deep cutting slopes unstable under heavy rainfall conditions.

So efforts are being made to regularly inspect the vulnerable spots and stabilize them by carrying out various geo-safety works. Multi-disciplinary expert committees had been appointed to address the issue. Based on the recommendations of the expert committees / teams, essential works have been identified and completed since the commissioning of Railway line.

The following safety works have been done so far:

· Easing of slopes by providing berms and flattening of deep cuttings slopes and protecting slopes by plantation to prevent soil erosion.

· Providing steel boulder netting as isolated boulder fall prevention measures in cuttings.

· Loose scaling, Shot creting and rock bolting of tunnels.

· Providing RCC retaining wall and Gabion wall.

· Providing micro piling & soil nailing.

· Providing side drains and catch water drain lining etc.

The incidences of boulder falls and soil slips have been reduced considerably after completing flattening of deep cutting slopes, rock bolting / shotcreting of tunnels, construction of lined water drains.