Stability Analysis and Construction of Highest Gabion Wall of its own Kind in India - a Case Study

Narmada valley development authority proposed a scheme under, which 12.6 cumecs of water from the Hathani River (Tributary of Narmada) will be lifted to irrigate the command area. At the pumping station lies near Alirajpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. There was a need to protect the slope on both sides as water thrust from the upstream side may lead to failure of the slope. This paper presents the stability analysis of the slope using the GEO5 software. It was observed that the terrain at the site was a mixture of soil and rocks. The unit weight of the rock and backfill soil observed was 21 kN/m3 and 18 kN/m3. Using numerous techniques factor of safety was calculated for the particular slope, and it was observed that a suitable mitigation measure needs to be provided to prevent the failure of the slope. The inclusion of a gabion retaining wall increased the slope s safety factor significantly. The proposed mitigation measure was executed at the site, and the completed wall has not shown any damage till date. The analysis of the slope s stability results, as well as its construction of the gabion retaining wall recommended as a protective measure, are presented in this work.