Role of Drying and Wetting Soil–Water Characteristic Curves and Unsaturated Permeabilities on Slope Stability at Almaty

The increase in frequency and intensity of rainfall is one of the most significant effects of a warmer climate in the future. The extreme precipitation has an adverse impact on slope stability as it reduces soil strength parameters, increases surface runoff, and changes pore-water pressure. These changes in soil behavior lead to slope instability that may damage the surrounding environments, including infrastructure, houses, government facilities, and even human health. This occurrence shows the significance of slope stability analysis in high-risk areas. Therefore, the stability assessment for slopes is of high interest in geotechnical and geological engineering research. The objective of this paper is to investigate variations in factor of safety at the presence of rainfall and evaporation using (a) drying-wetting soil–water characteristic curve (SWCC) and unsaturated permeability (kw), and (b) using only drying SWCC & kw to understand effectiveness of each method. The scope of the study includes the investigation of rainfall data, soil properties, and slope geometry used in the 2D stability analyses using GeoStudio software. The study focuses on Almaty Mountain in Kazakhstan.