Punjab state is located in northern India which is majorly known for its agricultural activities due to the availability of fertile land. There are several geotechnical and geoenvironmental hazards associated with this region. Scouring and erosion of soil due to water, land subsidence, and liquefaction are the major geotechnical challenges in Punjab. Around 10% of the submontaneous tract of Punjab state is vulnerable to soil erosion due to water. Scouring of river banks and tail ends is a common issue. Land subsidence occurs in this region due to groundwater depletion. Several areas of the Punjab region also lie in different Seismic Zones, i.e., II, III, and IV, as per the IS 1893 (Part 1): 2016. Punjab has flood plains of 5 rivers which include cohesionless alluvial deposits and the depth of water level is also less than 2 m in some areas. Hence, the southwestern area and the soil along the different riverbanks are highly susceptible to liquefaction. Additionally, the geoenvironmental hazards are associated with this area due to the higher usage of pesticides and chemicals during farming. There are many dying industries and tanneries in the Ludhiana and Jalandhar districts of Punjab, which directly discharge the contaminated water into the soil. Hence, due to these reasons toxic heavy metals are present in soil. Overall, immediate action is required to deal with these challenges associated with the Punjab region. There are several advanced methods, i.e., microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP), phytoremediation, etc., which can be possibly applied to deal with geotechnical and geoenvironmental challenges.

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Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Hazards Associated with Punjab, India Region with Possible Solutions

  • Meghna Sharma

摘要

Punjab state is located in northern India which is majorly known for its agricultural activities due to the availability of fertile land. There are several geotechnical and geoenvironmental hazards associated with this region. Scouring and erosion of soil due to water, land subsidence, and liquefaction are the major geotechnical challenges in Punjab. Around 10% of the submontaneous tract of Punjab state is vulnerable to soil erosion due to water. Scouring of river banks and tail ends is a common issue. Land subsidence occurs in this region due to groundwater depletion. Several areas of the Punjab region also lie in different Seismic Zones, i.e., II, III, and IV, as per the IS 1893 (Part 1): 2016. Punjab has flood plains of 5 rivers which include cohesionless alluvial deposits and the depth of water level is also less than 2 m in some areas. Hence, the southwestern area and the soil along the different riverbanks are highly susceptible to liquefaction. Additionally, the geoenvironmental hazards are associated with this area due to the higher usage of pesticides and chemicals during farming. There are many dying industries and tanneries in the Ludhiana and Jalandhar districts of Punjab, which directly discharge the contaminated water into the soil. Hence, due to these reasons toxic heavy metals are present in soil. Overall, immediate action is required to deal with these challenges associated with the Punjab region. There are several advanced methods, i.e., microbially induced calcite precipitation (MICP), phytoremediation, etc., which can be possibly applied to deal with geotechnical and geoenvironmental challenges.