LAUSR

A massive landslide was triggered on 19 May 2017 at Vishnuprayag near Joshimath, Uttarakhand, India. The landslide blocked the Rishikesh–Badrinath highway and halted traffic for about 24 h till the debris was removed and the road reopened. The Hathi Pahar hill in Vishnuprayag has been a landslide-prone zone because of the presence of loose boulders and large rock blocks on very steep slopes. The site was visited immediately after the landslide and a rapid field assessment of slope stability was carried out. The stability analysis was performed with limited geological and geotechnical data collected from field and laboratory. Based on the two-dimensional finite element analysis, it was inferred that the slope is marginally stable under static load, but fails under seismic loading. The slope could fail in future due to triggering factors such as heavy rainfall, earthquake and anthropogenic activities. This communication presents field observations and the subsequent stability analysis along with possible suggestive control measures.