Erosion control using Geo Synthetics

 Erosion Control using Geo synthetics

Erosion of soil takes place due to the action of flowing water, rain water or wind. The soil particles then get displaced which in turn creates various   engineering and environmental problems. It is therefore very essential to prevent soil erosion. There are different methods to arrest the erosion. One of the effective and economical methods is the use of geosynthetic mats for erosion control.

Introduction

Soil erosion takes place when the shear force generated due to the external agencies such as wind and flowing water exceeds the shearing resistance of the soil particles. To control soil erosion, the shear resistance has to be increased.

Due to erosion, the banks of rivers may cut into the natural ground, road/ railway embankments may collapse leading to serious catastrophes. In case of agricultural soils, the top layer of soil may get depleted and may lead to the loss of fertile soil. It is reported that the soil is swept and washed faster than natural replenishment to the tune of 10 times in USA and 30 to 40 times faster in China and India.

Erosion can be controlled by different methods as natural vegetation, turfing, rip-rap, stone pitching, mats and gabions. But for the last fifty years, geo synthetic materials are being used in large quantities.

Characteristics of Soil Erosion

The main factors affecting erosion are intensity of rain, quantity of rain, duration, slope of the ground and soil permeability.

The types of erosion are - splash, sheet, shore line and rill & gully.

The processes involved in erosion are - detachment, transportation and deposition.

Geo synthetics

Geo means earth or soil and synthetics means man-made. Geo synthetics are made from petrochemical based polymers (plastics) which are biologically inert and will not decompose from bacterial or fungi actions. These are porous fibers manufactured from synthetic materials such as polypropylene, polyester, polyethylene, nylon, polyvinyl chloride and different mixes of these items. They are available in different thicknesses and widths in rolls of various lengths. These fabrics are durable and strong and can with stand hostile soil environment.

These geo synthetic mats are placed on or in the soil to improve slope stability of embankments, hill sides, and river / stream banks. Different geo synthetic materials are geo- textiles, geo- grids, geo- cells, geo- membranes and erosion control materials.

Method of Installation

-         Level and compact the area after removing vegetation, debris, stones and              other discarded materials.

-         Lay the mat and anchor it at the toe of slope properly.

-         Construct gabions at the slope benches

Advantages of Geosynthetic Mats

The main advantages of geo synthetic mats are:

 Easy and quick installation, economical, environmental friendly, maximum root anchorage, helps in the growth of vegetation and reduces water and wind velocities.

Conclusions

Erosion is a natural phenomenon and can’t be avoided altogether. But its effects can be reduced by taking suitable methods. One such effective and economical method is the use of geo synthetics for the control of erosion.

Image courtesy: http://www.flickr.com/photos/drainage-erosion-virginia/4293695138/

References:

1. Principles of Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering, V N S Murthy,UBS Publishers and Distributors, New Delhi,1992

2. Construction Engineering and Management, S Seetharaman, Umesh Publications, Delhi, 2003

3.Construction and Foundation Engineering, J Jha, S K Sinha, Khanna Publishers,Delhi,1977

Links:

http://www.brighthub.com/environment/science-environmental/articles/94028.aspx

                ******************************************

 

  

Happy and Joyful Life

Happy And Joyful life

Tags:  Joyful life , happiness, food, shelter , clothing

Everybody in this world  want  to lead a healthy and happy life.  But is it possible?  It is difficult to quantify the degree of happiness. Happiness  is a state of mind and depends on the attitude of the person concerned.

The basic requirements of a human being are food, shelter and clothing. One can have a meal of a small quantity of cereal while another can have a five star meal; one can have a  small one room hut  for self and family while another may have a multi storey house in a  large estate; while one can have a single piece cheap dress while anther can have a gold laced costly three piece suit. In addition to the basic amenities, one should have good physical and mental health . Then only one should be able to enjoy life to its full extent.

But what is the  state of most of the people of this present day world. From a small baby to a  grownup youth to a senior citizen, almost all are under some sort of pressure due to the mental agony ,worry and tension. It can be on the personal account, official account or on social account.

Is there a remedy for all these problems? Yes, it is there; but one has to find the solutions himself and practice accordingly. If one can control his emotions, his anger, resentment and greediness and then have a positive outlook towards life, one will be able to lead  a happy and joyful life.

                    ********************************                                    

Natural Resources - Forests

 Natural Resources – Forests

                                 Natural Resources - Forests

Tags: forests, deforestation, afforestation, soil erosion, global warming

Nature has provided us many natural resources such as forest, land, water, energy, mineral etc. A resource is a source of supply held in reserve. Among them forest is one of the important resource. In the early periods,  man cut trees for getting timber for constructing his house, for obtaining fire wood and also for clearing forest for agriculture. But in course of time as population increased, his needs also increased and he started inflicting too much pain on the forest by clearing the forest area for constructing dams, industries, agriculture, air ports, high ways – like that for many infrastructure works. Trees improve our aesthetic environment ,absorb noise and create calm and peaceful atmosphere.

Forest can be defined as a community composed of trees, plants, shrubs etc serving as an abode for animals and birds. Approximately one third of the earth’s land area is covered by forests. The services rendered by forests can be grouped under three categories – productive, protective and regulative. People collect from forests fruits ,roots, herbs, fire wood , fodder for animals and timber for house construction. The main protective functions of forests are conservation of soil and water. The regulative functions are absorption, storage and release of gases like carbon dioxide and oxygen. Forests help in regulating atmospheric temperature.

                                                         Forest                                     

It has been reported that during king Ashoka’s rule emphasis was given to tree planting and its upkeep. Also in several parts of kerala people used to worship trees and did ‘ poojas’ in what is called as snake gardens. The per capita forest area available in India is only 0.06 hectares as against 0 .64 hectares of world average. Destruction of forests is going on at an alarming rate – approximately 10 million hectares per year.

The main causes of deforestation as mentioned earlier are clearing the areas for construction of dams, air ports, industries, high ways, agriculture and mining. Extreme weather conditions, over grazing by cattle and forest fires also contribute for deforestation. The deforestation causes many hardships such as reduced rain fall, increased soil erosion, decreased soil fertility, climate change and frequent floods. Deforestation causes loss of biodiversity, leading to disturbances in ecological balance.

As such, it is very essential for forest conservation as well as proper management of the resources. Tree felling should be matched by an equal number of trees planting.  Afforestation should be done in areas not fit for agriculture. In building construction, alternate materials should be used in place of timber as far as possible. Previously for railway sleepers, teak wood was used. But now it has been dispensed with and pre cast concrete sleepers are being used.                                       

****************

                                                

Mix veg Iddli

                                            Mix  Veg Iddli

  

                              key words: iddli, vegetable, rice

Ingredients

Rice & dal batter

Carrot                  2

Potato                  3

Salt

Turmeric powder

Preparation

Wash the potato and carrot

Cut them into small pieces

Add a bit salt and turmeric powder and cook

Keep the iddli - plate on a level  top

Fill  half the dip with the rice batter  

Take a portion of the veg. mix and spread over the batter

Again top them with rice batter

Steam the  iddlis  for about 8 to 10 minutes

Take out the cooked iddlis from the plate

Have  it with coconut / pudina chutney and sambar

                        ************************

Problems of old age

Problems of old age

                 Tags: ageing, life style, diseases, free radicals, antioxidants

        Each and everybody in this world have to pass through different stages in their life time. The different stages are  - childhood , adolescence , adulthood and old age  In the old age , problems are manifold . They can be grouped as follows -  Physical ,Psychological . Financial , Family related. In the advanced age the old are more prone to face various      accidents. Their eye sight may get impaired, may be difficulty in hearing. various life style diseases like diabetes, blood pressure, cholesterol , memory loss (dimentia) etc . Elderly population in India is 138 million  in 20121. 

          As discussed, old age is an inevitable stage  in everybody's life. But the irony is that all  want to remain, youthful always. As days pass, one gets older and changes take place both physically and mentally. Ageing is a natural process which affects the whole body. Since it is a natural process, it can’t be stopped altogether but can only  be slowed down to a certain extent. The rate of ageing will speed up on account of lack of exercise, improper food, lack of sleep and mental worry. By correcting the lifestyle, the rate of ageing can be slowed down considerably.

        In old age skin loses its elasticity, eye sight gets impaired, muscles weaken, black hair turns to white, teeth get decayed and various other diseases increase. Heredity plays a very important role in ageing. Highly corrosive oxidising elements called free radicals attack our body. The main causes of free radicals are air pollution, strong sun light, cigarette smoking and absence of nutritious food. As  a remedial step, antioxidants should be taken which break down the free radicals. The main anti oxidants are vitamins - A, C and E and the mineral selenium.

 Summarising, the main effects of ageing are:

Increased chances for heart attack, arthritis , cancer

Impaired hearing, loss of teeth, cataract etc

Black hair turning white

Poor sleep, irritability

Bones turn more brittle due to loss of calcium

As mentioned earlier, ageing is a natural  process 

which can’t be stopped but can be only slowed down

to a certain extent  by changing the life style.

                         ----------------------------------------------

 

      Mental Tension and Worry-  The disease of the modern world

                                        key words - tension worry calm peace

The other day Sindhu, a B Tech final year student told me that she   forgot to write her roll number in the answer book of the examination.

I asked her why?

She answered that she was under  mental tension and as such forgot to write her roll number.

People of all ages starting from a kindergarten student to a senior citizen from all strata of the society -  house wife, engineer, doctor, politician etc  all are under tension in one way or the other.

But is it possible to avoid this mental tension?

Swami Vivekananda says “The calmer we are, the less disturbed our nerves, the more shall we learn, the better our work be”. But seldom we can find a  person leading a calm and peaceful life. Now a days nervous tension has become a regular phenomenon. Some of the stress induced diseases are heart attack and high blood pressure. The degree of tension may differ depending on the place and situation. Some may be undergoing tension in his office , others may suffer in their home and some others may be undergoing both in their office and home as well.

Stress can’t be completely avoided but it can be controlled to a certain extent. Stress can be positive as well as negative. It is the negative stress which causes nerves tension, anger, jealousy and other problems.

If we are able to remain calm under any provocation, to a large extent tension can be minimized. For this we should have strong will power and faith in our self. We should learn to live in the present forgetting the past. By practicing meditation, to a large extent, tranquility can be maintained and also  regular   practice will help in removing negative feelings.

                                                     ***********************

 

Tapioca- Carrot Mixed Porotta

 

Tapioca- Carrot Mixed Porotta

Introduction

Tapioca- Carrot Mixed Porotta is a special vegetarian dish of Kerala. This is very suitable for school going children and employed persons for their lunch.

      

Ingredients

1. Wheat Flour (Atta)            3 cups                     
2. Tapioca 500 g                       
3. Carrot                             3
4. Green Chilies                   2
5. Oil                                  2 table spoon
6. Salt                                According to taste
7. Water                              1 cup

Method of Preparation
*Add water and mix thoroughly the wheat flour and roll into small balls
*Remove the skin of tapioca, cut into small pieces and boil it
*Wash the carrots and grate it nicely
*Knead the boiled tapioca, add salt, sliced green chilies and grated carrots
*Take one ball of atta and spread into circular shape of approximately 13 cms
*Take one portion of tapioca mix  and keep it at the centre ,fold from the sides and  spread again 
*Smear little oil on both sides, keep it on a  tawa and heat it till it   turns into brown colour
*Have this with tomato sauce, chutney or pickle 
   
  ******************************************************      .           

Posted by Ramachandran at 12:38 AM No comments: 
Saturday, December 10, 2011