Technologies for Sustainable Transportation Infrastructures

Rapidly rising urban mobility causes more vehicle usage, which raises traffic volume, and ultimately causes congestion on Indian roads with a variety of traffic. One of the crucial places where traffic jams happen is at signalized intersections. Traffic congestion at junctions raises the saturation level at downstream and interferes with signal coordination. Signal coordination will enhance traffic flow while reducing delay and journey time in one direction. Therefore, the platoon characteristics between upstream and downstream should be assessed to combat this oversaturation and the consequence of signal coordination. This study aims to determine platoon dispersion at a signalized junction by analyzing speed data. Two study sections in Bengaluru were chosen for the investigation of platoon dispersion. Data regarding the speed characteristics of traffic flow were collected using videography method. Recording was done on weekdays and weekends, and peak and off-peak traffic data were collected. Platoon characteristics were assessed every 30 m throughout the 600 m stretch at downstream of the signalized intersection. The data pertaining to three levels of traffic volume: low, moderate, and heavy were clustered together. This research pinpointed the platoon dispersion pattern under the ideal traffic circumstances of Kodigehalli Gate Road and the non-ideal, heterogeneous traffic conditions of Old Madras Road. The initial and final platoon dispersions were detected at 150 and 330 m for light and moderate traffic circumstances, respectively, based on speed parameters assessed at every 30 m interval in first road section. While for heavy traffic situations, beginning and final platoon dispersions were seen at 240 and 330 m, respectively. In the second section, speed is investigated together with friction conditions. Based on speed parameters, initial and final dispersion is measured at 150 and 390 m, respectively, under low and moderate traffic circumstances, and it has been shifted to 450 m under heavy traffic situation.

Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) in infrastructure represent a valuable instrument to speed up development and can help to meet the demand and fill the very large funding gap. Developing economies like India adopted PPP at a great rate; but since 2012, the sector witnessed a decline in private investment, particularly in the sphere of Build Operate Transfer (BOT) projects. Therefore, to facilitate the transition back to the PPP adoption, this study identifies various risk factors associated with BOT projects. A semi-structured interview-based approach was adopted to identify the challenges faced in the adoption of BOT projects. A total of twelve interviews were conducted among major stakeholders (i.e., granting authority, concessionaire, and government) associated with the implementation of BOT projects. The collected data were analyzed using a content analysis which yielded 21 risk factors. Further, a second round of interviews was conducted with ten experts and was presented with mitigation measures to overcome the identified risks and were asked to rate them based on their importance level on a scale of 1 to 5. These mitigation measures were then mapped with the identified risks. The findings of this study aim to provide the practitioners with sound knowledge about the challenges and the mitigation measures which can aid the adoption of BOT projects and can lead to the increased private investment in the infrastructure sector in India.

Spent coffee residue contains a significant amount of biodegradable material and is extremely organic. This study aims to assess the feasibility of blending the soil with spent coffee residue and industrial by-products such as fly ash and slag through a sustainable approach using the geopolymerization technique. Geopolymerization was induced using fly ash (FA) and slag as precursors with sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate as alkaline activators. Modified compaction was investigated to determine the optimum moisture content and bearing strength of the mixes produced. The Taguchi's L-9 orthogonal array served as the foundation for the formulation of all nine geopolymer mixes created herein. In an initial calibration phase, the durability and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) characteristics of a set of nine mixes were utilized for performance evaluation. On the basis of these findings, strength and durability prediction equations were developed. In the prediction phase, the accuracy of the developed model is evaluated with actual test results from trials on the nine mixes. Partial replacement of slag by 20 and 30% with the desired sodium oxide content range between 3 and 5% complied with the standard for subgrade material. Test results indicate stabilized coffee residue might be used as subgrade material rather than being dumped in landfills.

The global road traffic accident statistics recall the urgent need for worldwide road safety improvement. The resource allocation towards the road safety infrastructures requires a cost-benefit analysis, which necessitates the road accident cost estimation. The willingness to pay (WTP) elicitation by contingent valuation using the pavement card format is a prominent approach to determine the value of statistical life (VSL) as well as the accident cost. The WTP of road users depends upon various factors like socio-economic characteristics, risk perception, and good driving behaviour. Even though the said factors seem to influence the WTP evidently, the extent to which each factor influence is ambiguous and is population dependent. Structural equation modelling (SEM) is a powerful tool to determine the factors affecting WTP. The study assesses the impact of above said factors on the WTP of the respondents of Ernakulam City, Kerala, India. The impact of all the factors was found to be positive and significant at 0.001 level. Among the socio-economic characteristics, the four-wheeler ownership (standard parameter estimate, β = 0.63) is found to strongly influence the WTP followed by a high household income level (β = 0.45). Among the good driving behaviour characteristics, never drink and drive behaviour (β = 0.96) shows the highest influence followed by never overspeeding (β = 0.88). Those who perceived their accident risk to be average or above average were willing to pay more for road safety than others. Considering the risk perception factors, respondents whose family or close friends had a previous experience with an accident had a magnitude parameter estimate (β = 0.77) higher than a personally experienced accident. Though the socio-economic characteristics were found to be strongly influencing the WTP followed by risk perception and good driving behaviour, the individual parameter estimates show that never drink and drive behaviour influences the WTP to the maximum.

Roadway construction companies are under pressure to use more environmentally friendly “clean and green” technologies in this age of global warming. The urban development has increasingly generated solid waste materials during construction and demolition site. It is possible to reuse of construction and demolished waste material to reduce the cost of production of new materials, and also it reduces the consumption of natural resources. The purpose of this study is to reuse demolished concrete as an alternative to natural coarse aggregate in rigid pavement. The aim of this study to prepare economical concrete pavements by reclaimed demolished waste. The laboratory tests were conducted to determine and compare the compressive strength, flexural strength, and workability of concrete by using different percentages of demolished waste concrete. The investigations are carried out by using workability test, compressive strength, and flexural strength. The coarse aggregate was replaced by demolished waste concrete with a total of five mixes 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%, respectively. During the workability test of concrete, It was observed that the workability of concrete meets standard true slump for M40 design of concrete as per IS 10262-2009 after using demolished concrete waste with the replacement of natural coarse aggregate. The average compressive strength has taken for both natural coarse aggregate and demolished concrete; the results showed that the strength of demolished concrete was comparable to the strength of natural aggregate concrete.

Road is an integral part of the transportation. Flexible pavement plays a major role in the transportation sector all over the world. Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) is generated when asphalt pavement removed for reconstruction and resurfacing. The use of RAP is necessary to minimize the cost of construction materials and to save and protect the natural resources by requiring less amount of virgin aggregate and asphalt in road construction project. The application of pyro-oil has been incorporated in this paper. So, reusing of these materials are very much essential to lower down the wastage and the same can be seen as a step toward sustainable development. In this paper, an attempt has been made to incorporate 40% of RAP binder of virgin binder along with varying percentages of pyro-oil. Superpave rutting parameter (G*/Sin $$\partial$$ ∂ ) and multiple stress creep recovery (MSCR) tests were employed for evaluating high temperature performance of binder. A dynamic shear rheometer was employed to carry out the tests. RAP binder has been seen to enhance the rutting behavior of virgin binder but incorporation of pyro-oil is seen to reduce the rutting resistance.

The progress of a nation is firmly supported by its road infrastructure. The national economy can benefit from better road infrastructure. Due to natural wear and tear as well as environmental factors, the roads degrade with time. To preserve the road’s serviceability and prevent more degradation, pavement condition evaluation should be addressed early on when the road begins to deteriorate. The traditional road assessment approach of road evaluation is still in use today. It takes a lot of time, money, and effort to use this approach to evaluate the state of the roads. When a vast region has to be monitored, remote-sensing technology works well. When compared to in situ measurements, it is both fast and cheap. Road infrastructure may be quantitatively and comprehensively surveyed on a regular basis using remote-sensing techniques. Often pertaining to the chemical and mineral characteristics of the observed objects, hyperspectral remote-sensing images use several small contiguous spectral bands with comprehensive spectral information. Collecting data in the field are crucial to ensuring accurate hyperspectral imaging. Data from field spectrometers are commonly used to verify the accuracy of hyperspectral remote imaging. The goal of this research is to investigate road material identification and distress analysis using hyperspectral imagery. For this preliminary investigation, we used a high-resolution field portable spectroradiometer (SVC HR-1024) to measure the spectra of concrete and bitumen roads. The spectra are collected within the 350 to 2500 nm range. It is capable of differentiating between roadways of varying ages and conditions based on subtle spectral differences. This article presents the findings from a comprehensive analysis of the field spectrometer that was conducted prior to the use of hyperspectral imagery.

A peculiar feature of smaller vehicles in multi-class disordered traffic flow is higher maneuverability and lower time of travel. The smaller vehicles can move through the gaps between larger vehicles and reach the downstream end faster. Such features of smaller vehicles contradict traditional concepts of traffic flow such as First In First Out and car following theory. On account of the distinctive features of smaller vehicles in multi-class disordered traffic stream, a macroscopic model is developed for urban corridor incorporating the two-wheeler specific features. The model captures the overtaking and creeping behavior of two-wheelers under congested conditions. The study formulates a multi-class continuum model by combining the link and node model. The link model formulated in this study comprises the fundamental relations of traffic flow with the concept of traversable distance incorporated in the equilibrium speed function to capture the two-wheeler dynamics. The output of the link model is used as input to the nodes, and node model is formulated by defining the supply and demand functions based on the type of intersection. The two-wheeler specific behavior at the intersections is reproduced through the queue formation and dissipation during congestion by simulating the traffic stream under varying external conditions. For this, the study presents four test cases to interpret the typical creeping behavior of two-wheelers at signalized and unsignalized intersections. The difference in class-wise travel time is computed, and it is observed that the travel time and delay of two-wheelers is lesser than that of cars even in congested conditions. The model is also used to demonstrate the typical bus bunching problem at intersections. The study emphasizes on the necessity for an extensive representation of two-wheeler specific features at intersections.

Sustainable development is a major global concern as it brings environmental as well as economic savings. Reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) has been gaining importance due to sustainability as well as its potential to perform well. Viscosity of asphalt binder plays an important role in determining the mixing and compaction temperatures. The aggregates should be satisfactorily coated during mixing and during compaction, and they should have enough mobility to form a compact aggregate matrix. The mixing temperature can be maintained constant but during compaction the temperature decreases as the process proceeds. Hence, it is necessary to study the rheological behaviour of asphalt binder at different temperatures as binder transits from non-Newtonian to Newtonian. In this study, VG30 has been used as a base binder. Samples have been prepared with 30 and 40% reclaimed asphalt (RA) binder by weight of base binder, termed as RAP30 and RAP40. Also 1% HDPE pyro-oil was added to evaluate the transition regime. A steady shear test was performed on the binders at different temperatures using a Brookfield Rotational Viscometer. The addition of RA binder increased the transition temperature, whereas the addition of HDPE pyro-oil resulted in a decrease in the transition temperature which leads to increase in critical shear rate.

With the help of huge traffic data available from sensors, predictions of real-time or near-future traffic conditions are possible nowadays through various traffic flow prediction models (TFPM). Predictions of traffic flow are considered as the foundation of many innovative intelligent transportation systems (ITS) approaches. With the application of TFPM, ITS plays a major role in urban traffic management to reduce congestion and delays. One such approach of ITS is advanced traffic management systems (ATMS). Hence with ATMS strategies, centralized systems are developed to control and maintain stable traffic in urban areas. Traffic flow predictions are also a part of advanced traveller information systems (ATIS) that helps the traveller to do a better route choice and hence reduce travel time and delays. Knowing the importance of predicting urban traffic conditions, this paper will work on traffic flow prediction models that forecast traffic flow at a busy urban intersection in Duisburg, Germany. Traffic flow data were collected from inductive loop detectors and were used to train and test the models. Many research works have been done based on conventional statistical models and modern deep learning models for data-based time series forecasting. After the recent development of the Fb-Prophet and Neural Prophet models, there is a need to check their performance by comparing them with traditional models. One of the precise statistical models is the Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average model (SARIMA). This paper aims to forecast traffic flow with Fb-Prophet and Neural Prophet models and tries to compare their performance with the SARIMA model in terms of data pre-processing, accuracy (MAPE) and computational requirements.

Pavement construction and maintenance have become very common worldwide as traffic volumes and vehicular axle weights continue to rise as the global population grows and technology advances. The extensive utilization of natural resources implies that their existence for long-term availability cannot be assured. Using materials from the various damaged and collapsed structures will save money and find a solution to the trash disposal issue. These materials have inferior engineering properties compared to conventional materials and cannot be used directly in pavement applications. These materials must be processed or stabilized by mechanical and chemical stabilization techniques. Processing of Recycled Concrete Aggregates (RCAs) has gained more importance in improving the physical properties. In the current investigation, construction and demolition (C&D) waste was processed in two stages successively. In the first stage, C&D waste was subjected to manual crushing and further processed through jaw crushing. The aggregates were processed through ball milling in the second stage. The natural aggregates are entirely replaced with the RCA in cement-treated bases (CTBs) at 3, 5, and 7% stabilization levels. Mechanical and durability properties were evaluated. The RCA produced from the ball milling method performs better than the unprocessed RCA. The mix having 7% cement content with processed RCA met the specifications for CTB.

Sustainable road construction has been increasingly gaining much recognition due to the unendurable conventional pavements. To avoid adverse effects on the environment, ecofriendly road construction is taking attention these days. Waste plastic generated will end up in landfills, incinerated, or recycled. However, in India per capita, plastic consumption is quite less in comparison to the global per capita consumption of plastic. So, the eco-design of asphalt mixture utilizing shredded waste plastic is adopted to recycle and reuse the shredded waste plastic in flexible pavements. This paper compared the volumetric properties and stability of asphalt mixes prepared with shredded waste plastic. Conventional bitumen such as VG30, VG40, and polymer-modified bitumen PMB40 for two aggregate gradations with a Nominal Maximum Aggregate Size (NMAS) of 25 mm and 19 mm abbreviated as G1 and G2, respectively, was used to prepare the mixes. Three dosages of waste plastic (4%, 6%, and 8%) to the weight of optimum binder content (OBC) were added, by dry mixing method, to VG30 bituminous mixes. A total of 12 different types of mixes were prepared and tested for volumetric properties and stability. It was observed that with the increase in dosage of waste plastic, volumetric properties such as air void (AV) and Voids in Mineral Aggregate (VMA) increased while the density decreased. The results showed that incorporating shredded waste plastic in the mix improved the Marshall Stability (MS) and stiffness of the mix which is also environmentally friendly.

A comprehensive study of the project titled “Four-laning of Bengaluru-Mangaluru from km 270 + 270 (Periya Shanthi) to km 318 + 755 (Bantwal)” was conducted to assess the project’s potential, necessities, and requirements. The evaluation also addressed the challenges encountered due to the project’s location in a mountainous terrain region. The major issue encountered and understood through this study was that the project is delayed more than usual due to many difficulties and challenges encountered by them under various circumstances. Based on the survey and research work done, it was understood that the region of Dakshina Kannada where the project is being done has high temperature during summers due to which ice cubes were used to maintain temperature for concrete batching. The objective of the project is to eliminate the hairpin bends which slowed down the traffic movement by straightening them to reduce congestion as there are many pilgrimage places, business hubs, and tourist places in the project vicinity. Some of the main reasons for the delay of the project was unseasonal rainfall, felling of trees, obstructing the Right of Way (ROW), the inability to move the utility units to the project site due to insufficient ROW, landslides, and many more reasons. Currently, the Extension of time (EOT) has been requested by the Contractor to NHAI, as the project has been delayed. This research paper further explores the detailed causes and gives a complete insight into the project.

The walking environment has become center of attraction while dealing with safety in urban transport environment for the fact that it has been kept at the edge of the safety bar or even been neglected while designing urban mobility from several decades. Sidewalk and crosswalk walkability is an important consideration to be made while planning and designing the city infrastructure. Pedestrian safety is the most important when a safe, sustainable and inclusive urban mobility is aimed at. Examination of the current ability of sidewalks and crosswalks could be done based on two methods, namely, subjective and objective. Subjective method deals with understanding the perceptions of users on the facilities that are available. On the other hand, objective method concerns with measurements, presence or absence of a facility condition of a facility as viewed by the user or expert, etc. This study aimed at understanding important factors considered for safer pedestrian sidewalk walkability, factors considered in finding Pedestrian Level of Service (PLOS), important factors as per the perceptions of users. On thorough understanding from 27 journal papers which we selected from Web of Science core collection, SCI and Scopus indexed journals, we were able to divide the whole study under three groups, viz., factors affecting walkability, factors affecting PLOS and perceived factors for better walkability. Methodologies followed by various authors in finding latent variables are discussed in detail. This review, apart from giving details regarding Latent Variables (LVs), throws more light on gaps identified from the survey of literature. Scope for further research on aforementioned objectives is also presented at the end of the study.

In recent years, Indian highways have been constructed as rigid pavements as these pavements have high life cycle value when compared to flexible pavements. Pavement quality concrete (PQC) is used as the top surface layer in rigid pavement construction. The shrinkage cracks are formed during the hardening of PQC. These cracks allow mud, water and debris, resulting in mud pumping and other distress. The tensile cracks are formed in concrete pavements when the traffic load is applied exceeds the flexural strength of PQC. These cracks cause durability problems in the CC pavements. The microfibers are used in PQC to arrest the tensile cracks during the hardening stage of PQC, and macro (structural) fibers are used to enhance the flexural performance of PQC. In the past few years, hybrid fibers have been added to concrete to enhance the synergy. When two or more types of fibers are added to concrete to enhance its properties, these fibers are called hybrid fibers. In the present study, to avoid tensile crack formation during the fresh state of concrete and to improve the mechanical properties of PQC mix, both micro and macrofibers are added to concrete to obtain the PQC mix. It is concluded that the flexural properties of concrete composite improved at the optimum dosages.

The increase in road traffic poses a significant threat to vulnerable road users, heightening the demand for their safety. According to the recent Road Accidents Statistics (MoRTH, 2020), out of the total road accidents reported in 2020, 15.8% involved pedestrians, and 65.1% occurred on straight road sections. This highlights the difficulty and lack of safety for pedestrians. Lack of visibility is the major cause of most accidents, and in the case of bus stops, parked buses affect the visibility of crossing pedestrians. In this study, traffic safety of crossing pedestrians is analysed using the proactive approach, which identifies an observable non-crash event that could have led to a conflict. Post-Encroachment Time (PET) is the most popular time-based measure that is the least time-consuming for accurate estimation of surrogate safety. This paper focuses on determining factors which affect PET of pedestrian crossings at mid-block sections with designated or undesignated bus stops. Videographic surveys were conducted at two mid-block sections with bus stops in Kerala, where accidents to pedestrians are frequent. Kinovea software was used to extract data from the recorded video samples, and IBM SPSS software was used to outline the factors influencing PET. The study found PET of crossing pedestrians to have a high positive correlation with the time taken for the vehicle to approach the crossing pedestrian, while other factors like evasive action and compliance behaviour were negatively correlated. The study proposed a model that will enable the easy computation of PET values of crossing pedestrians.

Black cotton soils (BCSs), characterized by their susceptibility to vertical ground movements and their detrimental impact on geotechnical structures and pavements, present significant challenges. These issues are particularly pronounced in areas with subpar subgrade soils, rendering conventional pavement construction economically prohibitive. To meet this pressing need, there is a growing shift toward investigating non-traditional, sustainable, and cost-effective solutions. Regrettably, there is a scarcity of research concerning the reaction mechanisms underlying non-traditional soil stabilization methods. In response, this study explores the potential of marble dust (MD) as a soil stabilizer and bio-enzyme (BE), an environmentally friendly and non-toxic liquid enzyme that expedites soil stabilization during construction. The study's primary objectives encompass the assessment of key geotechnical parameters such as compaction, Atterberg's limits, and Unconfined Compressive Strength while varying the proportions of marble dust and bio-enzyme. Furthermore, it employs microstructural-driven analytical techniques to investigate the reaction mechanisms driving this innovative soil stabilization approach. The findings offer promising prospects for mitigating the expansion of reactive soils and promoting sustainable solid waste management practices.

This study is imposed on the investigation of compatibility of paver blocks for moderate traffic volume roads (0.5–2.0 MSA) which are manufactured by the fly ash based geo-polymer concrete with the whole substitution of genuine aggregates by recycled aggregates (C and D waste). The class-F fly ash is used as a primary binder material and cement is completely eliminated in this concrete mixture. The alkali activator is a blend of sodium hydroxide (NaOH) gel and gel of sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) added to dry concrete materials for activating geo-polymerization process. The sodium hydroxide (NaOH) gel is formed with varying concentrations of molar of 8 M, 10 M, 12 M, and 14 M, respectively. The outline of concrete mix, casting, and testing is done as per the regular conventional concrete mix design. The casted molds were kept in room temperature for 24 h and next de-molded specimens were placed in elevated temperature for hot curing at 60 °C for another 24 h. The compression test, split tensile strength test, and flexural strength tests were conducted as per the IS codes for conventional concrete is followed. The test results of fly ash-based RAGPC paver blocks were shown good results of higher values greater than paver blocks made by conventional concrete. Thus, the blocks of paver casted by fly ash and recycled aggregate proved superior quality of regular blocks of paver, which is suitable for moderate traffic volume roads and also eco-friendly.

In this study, multiple linear regression was used to build the 85th percentile speed models for cars, light and heavy commercial vehicles travelling on two-lane two-way rural highway in hilly terrain. Seven sites in total were taken into consideration for the model development. The horizontal curve’s geometric feature and features of the adjacent road section were regarded as independent factors and were used to model the operating speed of the vehicles. It was discovered that the operating speed of the car at a mid-curve depends on the outer shoulder width and the surrounding road segment characteristics. The adjacent nature of road segment and radius determines the speed for LCVs. HCVs speed was influenced by operating speed at exit and inner shoulder width. Importantly, the generated operating speed models could be utilized to assess geometric design as a result. The study demonstrates that road geometric features on hilly terrain affect the highway operating speeds of the vehicles.

Huge investments are being made in road improvements as part of India’s development activity. Because resources are scarce and demand from various sectors is high, the economic evaluation of projects provides a solid foundation for investment decisions. Because of modern vehicle technology, mixed traffic, and fluctuating highway conditions, there is a need to analyse vehicle operating costs, which should be assessed and renovated on a regular basis to adequately represent the new conditions. For a proper review of the economics of road projects, it is thought prudent to create a long-term approach to economic evaluation based on practical cost–benefit calculations. Economic evaluation is a required component of highway feasibility studies; therefore, vehicle operating costs (VOCs) must be calculated. It is projected that the construction of the Flyover/Vehicular Underpass (VUP) will reduce congestion and lower the vehicle operating costs of the affected road users. VOC levels are affected by a number of factors, including pavement condition, road geometry, and many others. The primary goals of this research are to measure VOCs from various vehicle types for varying traffic conditions to be utilized as representative values in economic analyses of highway projects. The results show that constructing a flyover at Indoli Junction is a more economically feasible option than continuing to use the existing road because the total percentage of VOC savings after comparing the VOC amounts for both cases will be 30.68% by the end of 2040, and the internal rate of return after comparing the VOCs for both cases is 13.51%, which is higher than the 12% recommended by NITI Aayog (Murty et al., in, Reassessment of National Parameters for project appraisal in India the study was sponsored with financial support of NITI Aayog, Government of India and conducted by, Institute of Economic growth Delhi, 2018), Government of India, for project appraisal.

Performance analysis of an urban transportation system, particularly a bus rapid transit system (BRTS), must report on its operations and dependability. The BRTS performance analysis includes many factors, including speed, directly impacting how the system functions and serves commuters. This study employs an experimental technique on a standardized basis to remark on the performance of the Hubballi–Dharwad BRTS by estimating the corridor's average speed at various spatial and temporal fluctuations. The BRTS route chosen included segregated (exclusive traffic environment) and unsegregated (mixed traffic environment) stretches. The current study primarily employed video graphics-based and manual surveys to collect data on identified spatial and temporal trends at different BRTS bus stations. The primary data required consists of dwell time (DT)-based data at each station, summarizing the total time a bus services a station for a unit of time, signal cycle data, and section speed, which corresponds to the speed of the buses between two BRT bus stations while observing spatial and temporal trends. The acceleration and deceleration rates were calculated using the section speed, followed by the acceleration and deceleration time. The addition of delays, errors, and bus congestion resulted in the average speed of various stretches. The average section speeds then facilitated the average facility speed. The variations in average section speed between stations were graphically presented, both spatially and temporally, which gave the conclusion that there was a higher section speed in the segregated stretch and a lower rate in the unsegregated stretch, followed by a higher speed in the off-peak hours and lower speed in the peak hours. The Level of Service (LOS) was developed for complete study sections considering the average facility speeds with and without the impedance, and the results were compared.

Due to biomaterials’ capacity to be recycled, environmental friendliness, and economic potential, biomaterials are currently attracting increased attention on a global scale in the road building business. Animal-derived biomaterials, on the other hand, are often made from toxic organic waste and might cause significant ecological harm if not utilized. Chicken feathers is one sort of animal-derived biomaterial that has recently attracted a lot of interest. Approximately 18–30 million metric tons of chicken waste residues are generated each year, of which about 30% are chicken feather waste. The impact of various chicken feather powder doses (2, 4, 6, and 8%) on asphalt binder and combination characteristics is examined in this paper. Conventional and Viscosity tests were performed on asphalt binders. Subsequently, Marshall mix design, wheel tracking, indirect tensile strength (ITS), and Asphalt mixtures were tested using ultrasonic pulse velocity (UPV). The results show that chicken feather powder improves pumping ability and stiffens asphalt binder regardless of the dosage rate. Additionally, regardless of dosage rate, adding chicken feather powder to asphalt mixtures improves their resistance to rutting and moisture damage.

The public transit system becomes unreliable during extreme weather conditions due to demand fluctuations caused by changes in the travel decision of people. To develop a sustainable public transit system, there is a need to understand the perception of people towards it during extreme weather conditions. The present study aims to study the influence of rainfall on the travel decision, waiting time and travel time of Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) bus passengers. Responses of people are collected by carrying out a questionnaire survey in Bengaluru City, and analysis is done using the multinominal logistic regression model. From the analysis, it is observed that 60% of people want to prepone or postpone or cancel the trip which may result in demand fluctuations. It is also observed that the waiting time of people at bus stops has got increased by 45% and also 70% of people encountered increased travel time during extreme rainfall. This study edifies the transport policy-makers regarding the travel behaviour of people during extreme weather conditions which can assist them to carry out managerial changes in operational strategies of the public transit system to make it more reliable.

Passenger mobility pattern is an essential characteristic in designing, managing and operating the public transit system. It depicts how passenger behaviour responds to changes in spatial and temporal attributes. In the past, studies have done the spatiotemporal analysis of hourly and daily variations but the effect of seasonal variation on the passenger mobility pattern has been neglected which causes inadequate planning and has led to an inefficient transit system. In the present study, non-negative tensor decomposition (NTD) is used to carry out spatiotemporal analysis of bus passengers by considering seasonal variation in passenger mobility. Six months of electronic ticketing machine (ETM) data of the intra-city bus service of Davangere is used. From the analysis, it is observed that people coming from outside, majorly from suburban and village areas used public transit more during the wet season compared to dry months. It portrays that people are sensitive to weather conditions and tend to shift from private vehicles to public transit and vice-versa. Hence, this methodology helps transit planners in the managerial aspect through rescheduling services and frequency.

To achieve long-term sustainability in the transit system, it should be periodically updated by considering demand fluctuations in the passenger flow. A prediction model with good accuracy is desirable to forecast transit demand in the future. Previous studies developed statistical and deep learning models and achieved good accuracy, but the models are restricted to that particular route or network. Hence, this study aims to discover how a prediction model behaves when it is provided with different datasets for prediction. Seasonal Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) and Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) models were developed for hourly and daily passenger flow prediction of one bus route, and the same models were used for the routes having different load profiles. The outcomes of the analysis demonstrate that SARIMA has the best accuracy for daily prediction compared to LSTM, but for hourly prediction, LSTM has better accuracy because of the complexity of the data. When routes with different load profiles were tested, the model's accuracy was reduced, displaying the model's incompatibility with other datasets. Hence to have a generalised model which can be adopted for diverse transit routes, the factors which affect the prediction should be identified and incorporated into the model.

India has the second-largest road network in the world. Most of the Indian roads are built as flexible pavements. Hot mix asphalt (HMA) is used as a paving material in the construction of flexible pavements. In HMA, the aggregates and bitumen are heated to higher temperatures prior to mixing. This results in the emission of pollutants, causing hazards to the environment. To overcome this problem, warm mix technology has been adopted by pavement engineers in which the mixing, compacting and laying temperatures are lowered by 20–30 °C. Stone Matrix Asphalt (SMA) is a hot mix used as a wearing/surface course in the flexible pavement because of its high resistance to rutting and improved durability properties. In the present study, an attempt is being made to evaluate the performance of SMA as a warm mix by adding Zycotherm as a warm mix additive and to compare the properties of W-SMA prepared using the two non-conventional jute and areca fibers. It is concluded that the W-SMA prepared using hybrid non-conventional fibers improves the stability of the SMA mix.

There has been an ever-increasing trend of plastic waste generation in recent years due to commercial and industrial development worldwide. Different studies were done on using plastic waste in the bitumen. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) waste is one of the major components of plastic waste. This study investigates the characteristics of bitumen modified with HDPE pyrolysis oil. Base bitumen is modified using 1, 2, and 3% HDPE pyrolysis oil. Properties such as softening point, viscosity, penetration, and Multiple Stress Creep and Recovery (MSCR) tests were investigated to check the behavior of modified bitumen. The mixing and compaction temperature of the base and modified bitumen is calculated using the viscosity-temperature relationship. It was found that penetration value increases as modifier content increases, which means modified bitumen improves cracking resistance. The softening point of modified bitumen is improved except for 3% HDPE pyrolysis oil modified bitumen. Modified bitumen decreases the viscosity of the base binder with increased pyrolysis oil content. Adding HDPE pyrolysis oil decreases mixing and compaction temperature concerning the base binder, which reduces energy consumption during the construction of flexible pavement. The addition of 1% HDPE pyrolysis oil enhances binders’ rutting resistance and is suitable for higher traffic loading conditions compared to base bitumen.

Indian cities are rapidly growing due to uncontrolled urbanization. In order to meet the traffic needs of these growing urban cities, the number of registered vehicles is also increasing. In these growing vehicles, major proportion includes private vehicles such as cars and two-wheelers. In India, vehicles are growing at a rate of 9.91 CAGR (considering year 2009–2019). A total of 295,772,000 vehicles were registered vehicles in the year 2019. Out of these, the number of private vehicles is 259,703,000 (87.80%) and the number of other vehicles is 36,069,000 (12.20%). This increasing proportion of private vehicles considerably influence the traffic system due to traffic congestion during peak hours, unsafe driving, speeding, illegal usage of pedestrian ways, and lack of lane discipline. In general, commuters prefer private vehicles for their daily travel needs as it is more convenient and time-saving. Promoting the use of the public transportation system is one of the effective approaches to minimizing traffic congestion. In order to shorten journey times and boost speeds, this may be accomplished through effective public transportation system. This study aims to assess the effects of Exclusive Bus Lane (XBL) on speeds and travel times. In order to do this, a road corridor in the city of Mysuru was chosen as the research region. Several simulations are conducted using the microscopic simulation program VISSIM, and the impact of dedicated bus lanes on the traffic characteristics is analyzed.

Soil stabilization is the process which involves improving the physical and geotechnical properties of the soil in order to improve its strength, durability, etc. In today’s situation, many wastes are producing due to Industrialization. This leads to reducing landfill space and causes many hazardous effects, and hence, in this study the waste products (i.e., bagasse and LDPE) are used for improvement of the soil properties. In this research, the properties’ virgin soil is studied by using stabilizing agents like bagasse and plastic. For different percentages of (7, 9, and 11%) of bagasse and (1, 2, and 3%) of plastic, the laboratory investigations have been done. After that both materials are mixed together with proportion of (7% bagasse + 1% plastic, 9% bagasse + 2% plastic, 11% bagasse + 3% plastic) with Black Cotton Soil. By performing the series of tests like California Bearing Ratio test, Atterberg’s Limit Test, Modified Proctor Test, Specific Gravity Test, Unconfined Compression Test, and Modified Proctor Test on Black Cotton Soil with these stabilizing agents results are demonstrated. The consequences of these tests are demonstrated that stabilization of raw Black Cotton Soils using bagasse and plastic helps in improving the strength of soils. Also, the waste materials like sugarcane bagasse and LDPE waste plastic are effectively used so that generation of solid waste has been minimized.

The shear strength of the infill or gouge material inside infilled joints has a serious impact on the infilled joint shear strength. Initial Barton’s study considers only the infill strength as an infilled joint strength. Things have changed since then now asperity, joint roughness, infill particle size also plays critical role in shear strength of the infill joints. This study giving proper justification in analysing the role of particle sizes of infill material in the shear strength of infill joints. Direct shear environment in in situ natural joints are simulated through plane surface Plaster of Paris joints filled with limestone infill with different grades of sizes in infill material. The choice of limestone infill is due to its strong affinity to seepage water. This study giving comparisons of shear strengths with respect to different grades of sizes of infill limestone in plane surface Plaster of Paris (POP) limestone infilled joints in constant normal load condition.

Bottom ash is generated from thermal power plants as a byproduct. Due to its weight, ash settles down near the hopper. They have been used in various construction technologies to solve disposal concerns. They are light and granular so that they can provide free draining. Also, they have interlocking nanostructures that can be used for different functions. Paper targets a critical review of the utilization of bottom ash as an absorbent, aggregate, geopolymer mortar, noise barrier, capping layer on landfill sites, structural fills, embankment construction, granular base, and sub-base. They may be either used in raw form or modified for advanced applications. Also, their physical and chemical properties, production, and problems associated with their disposal are mentioned. Its physical and chemical properties help in utilization for various other applications. The Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) determines the leachability of the heavy metals. The study helps to suggest the solution and its need in various engineering applications, its production, disposal, and how it affects the environment.

Soil slopes are vulnerable to water level changes resulting from environmental factors such as precipitation, drainage, terrain, adverse weather, or human activities. Changing water tables on slopes can cause landslides by adapting the soil’s and slope’s stability. When the water table raises, it can saturate underlying soil, making it bulkier, diminishing the strength on the slope and making it more prone to collapse. Moreover, this causes a decrease of shear strength, which is the restriction to sliding down a plane beneath the soil, culminating in a landslide. Slope failures and bank erosion may result in the release of trees and other plants, as well as bank landslides. A numerical analysis of the impact of altering water level on slope stability is done. This article investigates slope stability by calculating factor of safety utilizing “SLOPE/W” by “Geostudio” software to demonstrate the influence of the presence of water table and its parametric variation, as well as its validation using the PLAXIS(2D) finite element approach. The findings show that this technique presented a simple and efficient tool for analyzing water level-induced slope stability.

Many studies are available to understand the behaviour of soils with inclusion of suitable additives. Locally available materials in the form of waste obtained from industry and agriculture can be used as a stabilizer as a significant cost-effective technique to modify the property of soils. The present paper discusses the influence of bagasse ash and ferric chloride on properties of fine-grained soil. Bagasse ash varying from 5 to 30% and ferric chloride varying from 0.10% to 1.00% respectively were used to investigate the alter in properties of soil. The optimum percentage of ferric chloride and bagasse ash was determined from standard compaction test for different proportions of bagasse ash (BA) and ferric chloride (FC) added to the soil, respectively. The unconfined compressive strength tests were carried out with soil alone and soil mixed with different proportions of bagasse ash and ferric chloride, respectively. The different soil samples were prepared and tested for compressive strength with addition of ferric chloride and bagasse ash of varying proportions, respectively. Further, the soil samples were also tested for compressive strength with ferric chloride of varying proportions and bagasse ash corresponding to optimum percentage, respectively. Further, soil samples with optimum percentage of bagasse ash and ferric chloride were prepared and allowed for a curing period of 7 days and 14 days, respectively. The strength characteristics of the soil samples corresponding to different combinations are studied, and results are discussed in detail.

Tunnels are constructed for transportation purposes such as roadways, railways, and subways. Twin tunnels with lengths ranging from a few meters to many kilometers are constructed for various underground metro projects in Indian cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai to enhance daily commuting. Tunneling leads to the settlement of ground surface. This needs to be predicted accurately for an effective designing of tunnel. In this study, twin tunnel excavation has been simulated using the finite element program PLAXIS 2D. Volume loss at the tunnel is used to represent the effect of tunneling on ground and modeled using appropriate line contraction value, applied to the tunnel linings. In the first part of this paper, twin tunneling-induced ground settlements obtained using PLAXIS 2D are compared with those obtained using empirical method for a predefined value of volume loss under greenfield conditions. The second part of the paper represents a parametric study which includes the effect of various influencing parameters such as tunnel axis depth, tunnel diameter, center-to-center spacing between the tunnels, and volume loss on the ground surface settlements under greenfield conditions. The results of this study are found to be in good agreement with the previous studies available in literature.

The present study attempts to estimate the seismicity parameters for the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (12°–19° N and 77°–89° E) using the latest earthquake data. The updated seismic catalogue was developed by using the dataset from Kolathayar et al. (J Earth Syst Sci 121:1351–1364, 2012) [1] and updating it to the present day. The catalogue was homogenized and then declustered using Gardner and Knopoff (Bull Seismol Soc Am 64:1363–1367, 1974) [2]. The period of completeness for various magnitude intervals was estimated using Stepp (Proceedings of the 1st international conference on microzonazion, vol 2(1), pp. 897–910, 1972) [3], and seismicity parameters for the study area were determined using least square fit. The Gutenberg and Richter (Bull Seismol Soc Am 34:185–188, 1944) [4] relationship was used to calculate a and b, which were 3.64 and 0.72, respectively. These values are vital in performing seismic hazard assessment for the area later.

The increased frequency of landslides and the associated damages emphasize the need to develop novel techniques for landslide mitigation. Among numerous methods developed till today, an anti-slide pile is an effective tool for controlling slides in landslide-prone areas. The present study assesses the suitability of 2-D FE analysis using the strength reduction method for analyzing a slope stabilized with anti-slide piles. A detailed parametric study was carried out to explore the influence of the position and length of the pile on the factor of safety of pile-reinforced slopes, and the failure mechanism was studied in detail. Fixed head piles improved the safety factor compared to free head piles, and an improvement of 1.5 times was obtained compared with unreinforced slope. Piles located at the crest and toe of the slope were not significantly improving compared to other locations. For fixed head piles, the length of the pile does not affect the factor of safety, and for free head piles, the factor of safety improves with an increase in the length of the pile. For the slope considered in the study, the optimum position of the pile is between the crest and middle portion of the slope, and the optimum length is found to be 20 m for free head piles and 10 m for fixed head piles. The failure mechanism of the piled slope is also explained in detail for each case.

Conventional bricks have been used as building blocks for centuries and continue to be a popular choice for construction projects. The main components of clay bricks are silica (sand) and alumina (clay), lime, and iron oxide. Conventional bricks are not always environmentally friendly. Their manufacturing process can produce a significant amount of greenhouse gases. This drawback may be eliminated by the use of bio-enzymes in brick, since the application of bio-enzymes eliminates the need for firing bricks. Bio-enzyme is an eco-friendly solution that does not contain harmful chemicals or toxins that can damage the environment. Hence, it can be seen as a natural and effective solution that can be used to improve strength and increase the durability of conventional bricks. This study investigates the possibility of using a sustainable and locally available material, terrazyme, as a partial replacement for clay in the production of building blocks. The experimental study involved the complete removal of lime in conventional bricks, and partial replacement of clay with locally available lateritic soil, amended with terrazyme at two dosages, viz. 50 and 100 ml/m3 of soil. The physical and mechanical properties of the building blocks, including compressive strength, water absorption, and density, were evaluated. The results show that building blocks made with terrazyme have better properties than those made with native soil and clay. Higher compressive strengths and correspondingly lesser water absorption were achieved with a dosage of terrazyme 100 ml/m3 of soil. The use of terrazyme as a partial replacement for clay in building block production can result in more sustainable and cost-effective construction practices, especially in regions with a high abundance of clay soil.

An updated catalog is prepared for Tapovan, Uttarakhand, considering the historical and instrumental data of the region. As per the Indian seismic code IS 1893, it lies in Zone IV (severe) and Zone V (very severe). Due to the fast-growing infrastructural facilities coming up in this region and the high seismicity, it is necessary to prepare an updated catalog for this region which will help in seismic hazard assessment. The seismic study area is selected as 500 km with Tapovan as the center having coordinates 30.5578° N and 79.5592° E. The historical and instrumental earthquake data were collected from different sources, and a homogenized catalog of 17,718 events was prepared using different conversion relations. Declustering of the data was done to eliminate the dependent events which will give better accuracy in estimating the return period. Zmap program was used for the declustering and 9429 events were obtained. A seismotectonic map was prepared considering the earthquake data, active faults, and lineaments. The completeness of the earthquake data was done using the Stepp method, and it was found that higher magnitude earthquakes had a larger completeness period. The seismicity parameters were estimated using Gutenberg–Richter (G-R) recurrence law, and the “a” and “b” values were found to be 6.257 and 1.0208, respectively. Kijko’s MATLAB algorithm was used to determine the maximum magnitude of the earthquake for the region and the value obtained was 8.52 which is considered high. This study estimates seismicity parameters for the hazard studies by considering the updated catalog till the year 2022.

Ground modification techniques are adequate in the present scenario, due to the scarcity of suitable construction sites. The problematic soil widespread in the Konkan region of west coast India is shedi soil. Construction over this soil is challenging because it loses strength when saturated. Among the various ground modification techniques, the use of stone columns is an ideal technique due to their higher strength and stiffness properties compared to the surrounding soft soil. The cost effectiveness and ease of installation make stone column method popular in India. In the present paper, the performance of stone column reinforced shedi soil is analysed, by developing a three-dimensional finite element model in ABAQUS. The long-term stability is imparted with the time-dependent behaviour and it is evaluated.

Ensuring the stability of slopes under the action of an earthquake is always a challenging problem for geotechnical engineers. As earthquake is one of the major factors responsible for the failure of slopes, it becomes necessary to carry out comprehensive research on the stability analysis of slopes subjected to earthquake-induced loads. Many researchers have developed several methods to analyse the stability behaviour of slope, but till now the failure behaviour has not been understood properly because of the complexity of earthquake loading. With the above background, this study presents a numerical analysis, performed in PLAXIS 3D, to investigate the stability of slopes subjected to earthquake-induced loadings using pseudo-static approach. Also, parametric studies have been carried out to better understand the effects of different parameters (soil properties, slope dimensions, earthquake loadings, etc.) on the Factor of Safety (FOS) and displacement of the slope. The stability of a slope is best assessed in terms of its FOS, which is computed by the strength reduction technique. Analyses’ results show that the slope can sustain a maximum displacement of 442.80 mm, while slope height is varied till the failure point keeping all other parameters constant.

Expansive soils pose serious problems in geotechnical engineering applications because of their swelling-shrinking tendency during alternate wetting and drying cycles. The presence of predominant clay minerals in these soils make it susceptible to volume change with variations in moisture. The wetting and drying makes the soil leading to the failure of foundations of structures constructed over it. The potential usage of fly ash and NaOH (sodium hydroxide) through the engineering properties of soil was studied by carrying out the geotechnical tests such as Sieve analysis, consistency limits, standard proctor compaction, and unconfined compressive strength (UCS). From the experimental findings, the UCS of stabilized soil is found maximum for 15% of fly ash alone and is considered as optimum. Further, the soil is amended with optimum % of fly ash and NaOH solution varied at 1 N, 2 N, 3 N, and 4 N is used as pore fluid. The present study indicates that both fly ash and sodium hydroxide can be effectively utilized to stabilize the expansive soils.

Protection of the environment from hazardous materials from industrial waste generation and disposal is a major concern in today’s world. Disposal of this waste in open areas is not environment-friendly solution, and rather it can be used in geotechnical application in large scale. This paper investigates the applicability of blast furnace slag (BFS), ilmenite sludge and quarry dust admixed with local lateritic soil mixtures as a replacement for conventional pavement material. A series of combinations from these materials was made, and test comprising California bearing ratio (CBR)-soaked, compaction and unconfined compressive strength (UCC) was conducted on these samples. The results demonstrate there was an increase in the strength properties and CBR values by adding various percentages of industrial waste with lateritic soil.

Industrialization leads to a range of environmental challenges related to the disposal and storage of by products, making the proper disposal of industrial waste a significant global concern. The industrial waste can be used in various applications including stabilization, construction of pavements and embankments, etc. This study investigates the potential usage of industrial waste like red gypsum and blast furnace slag (BFS) in pavement construction with lateritic soil and quarry dust. Lateritic soil with different percentage of red gypsum and BFS shows a remarkable positive change in different soil parameters such as unconfined compressive strength (UCS), compaction, and California bearing ratio (CBR). By analysing the results, it is observed that it is ideal to mix two kinds of industrial waste by reducing the usage of natural resources, and thereby it can be effectively utilized in the construction of pavements.

In the present paper, the dynamic response of the confined geomaterial subjected to vibratory load has been investigated using a numerical program supported by experimental findings. An accelerometer has been used to report the acceleration, velocity, and displacement of confined geomaterial fill along the depth at varied frequencies of vibratory load. Further, the experimental findings were used in the numerical program to obtain the shear modulus and damping of confined geomaterial. The stress–strain response shows compounded effects with an increase in frequency and modulus of elasticity. It has been observed that displacement is amplified by 10–90% for a frequency range of 5–75 Hz. The shear stress–strain results showed that the shear modulus is magnified by 50% for varied input parameters considered in the study. The damping of the confined geomaterial has been found to be 0.5–5% for varied unit weight inputs (16–22 kN/m3). The results are compared within the outputs obtained by numerical simulation and experimental analysis for estimating the dynamic properties of the confined geomaterial subjected to vibratory load. The outcomes of the present study can effectively be adopted by engineers and partitioners for estimating the dynamic properties of the confined geomaterial in construction practices.

Expansive soils are highly problematical as they have likeliness to experience volumetric changes with respect to variations in moisture content. It is regarded to cause damage to various civil engineering structures because of its shrinking and swelling potential when it comes in contact with water. The bearing capacity improvement and the reduction in settlement is observed using granular pile anchor. Hence it is an efficient and effective methods. The bearing capacity or resistance of structures built on expansive soils determines their stability. Ordinary granular piles are incapable of providing resistance to pull-out loads. Granular pile anchor (GPA) was introduced to overcome the problems like settlements, load bearing capacity and swelling of the expansive soils. To resist the pull-out forces, GPA is one of the novel ground improvement technique. By varying the diameter of the stone column, laboratory test was conducted on expansive clay. Numerical modelling was done to study the heave control phenomenon using Plaxis, an analysis software based on finite element method. It was inferred that the numerical analysis was close to the laboratory test outcomes. The results revealed that it decreases swell pressure and settlement with the increase in the diameter of the stone column.

The reinforcement using single-layer geogrid on a soft subgrade is an effective way of solving practical problems. However, unpaved roads are often subjected to high vehicular loads, which compromise the pavement’s strength, safety, and durability. The loading has to be restricted on these reinforced subgrades. With the use of multi-layered reinforcement, this study aims to offer a superior alternative design for supporting heavy loads on geomaterial. The location of reinforcement plays a crucial role in the overall strength. The experimental investigations were conducted on poorly graded sand (SP). The effect of single-layer geogrid reinforcement placed at different depths of the subgrade was evaluated. Further, the bearing capacity of the soft subgrade was compared for single, double, and triple-layered geogrid reinforcement. A laboratory digital static cone penetration test (DSCPT) was performed to assess the load–displacement behaviour of unreinforced and reinforced subgrade. The result shows that reinforced subgrade achieved higher resistance compared to unreinforced systems. An optimum combination of placement depths of double-layered reinforcement is proposed.

Earlier when constructing a structure on soil of weak strength parameters, one option was to reject the area and relocate to new area of good soil conditions. In the present twenty-first century connectivity between remote places have become a basic requirement. Roadways, railways are required to be built on any available foundation soil. Geotechnical engineers worldwide are proposing various reinforcing techniques to improve the weak foundation soils. Practices like replacing the whole weak soil with higher strength soil or opting deep foundation techniques are highly uneconomical. Reinforcing the foundation soil with geosynthetics has proven to improve the soil strength parameters and is economical. In this research, laboratory scale load tests are carried out for embankments placed on weak clayey soils. The effect of granular bed, size of granular bed, inclusion of geogrids and prestressing of geogrids on the load-settlement behaviour of foundation are studied here. The improvement in load-settlement behaviour in each case is presented here.

Roadways play an important role in providing maximum service to everyone. Most often, flexible pavements are used for roads all over the world. India, a country with a diverse geography, has various soils, each with a unique strength characteristic. Poor soil properties are a major problem in the construction of pavements. The use of conventional materials for pavement bases poses a threat to the environment. Hence it is important to introduce a sustainable mode of construction. Kerala is the land of coconut trees and coir is obtained abundantly. Thus, coir geocells serve as good reinforcing material as it is environment friendly and has good engineering properties. This study deals with the strengthening of the base course of pavements using aggregates reinforced with coir geocell. In order to assess the performance of the base course, a model plate load test was carried out with and without geocell reinforcement. The findings indicated a substantial increase in both the modulus improvement factor and ultimate bearing capacity for the base course containing aggregate reinforced with coir geocell, in contrast to conventional aggregate bases. The effect of geocell reinforcement was also compared with the conventional aggregate bases.

Due to rapid increase of the population in the urban areas, it is being inevitable to introduce metro rail network. These metro rail networks are constructed by tunneling in subsurface region due to the scarcity of surface land. In the presence of soft soil deposits many structures will be constructed over the deep foundations. There will be adverse effect on the adjacent structures and its foundations due to vibration developed during the boring of tunnels. Latitudinal and vertical shifts are very likely to result from excavation activities in soft soils. Hence, it is necessary to study the effect of tunneling on the adjacent structures in order to determine the settlement of surface and subsurface soil. The main objective of the study is to investigate the total settlement of surface and subsurface soil and its impact on the existing structures due to the excavation of tunnel. Analysis of vertical and lateral movement of soft soil due to excavation of tunnel is carried out by finite element modeling (FEM) using PLAXIS 2D. The results highlight the risks associated due to tunneling and its effects on the substructures of the adjacent buildings.

Dredging is the process of shifting material from one area of the water environment to another. Dredging produces a very large quantity number of dislodged materials knowns as dredged marine clay, which are commonly considered as waste. Mostly, these soils are dumped into open sea and causes environmental problems. The dredged marine clay exhibits swelling–shrinkage behaviour in response to changes in water content, which are probably affected throughout time by climatic change. The primary objective of the study was to look at how wetting and drying cycles affected the behaviour of dredged marine clay. The swell time graph was drawn for each wet–dry cycle. The void ratio and water content of the specimen were calculated as the number of wet–dry cycles increased, happening at various intermediate phases, from the beginning of swelling to full swelling, and from the beginning of shrinking to the shrinkage limit. Finally, chemical changes on the deformation behaviour of the dredged marine clay during wet–dry cycles were investigated by testing the oedometer reservoir water. The test results showed that after four wet–dry cycles, the soil reaches equilibrium state, in which the vertical deformation during swelling and shrinking were same. The swell-shrink path of each specimen was S-shaped curve.

The dynamic interactions between tall chimney, underlying foundation, and the elastic soil beneath are the focus of this paper’s thorough assessment. This collaboration, known as soil–structure interaction (SSI), is based on the interactions between the features of the chimney and the soil. For tall-reinforced concrete chimneys subjected to wind loads, soil–structure interaction (SSI) analysis is being carried considering the Raft foundation. Based on various material characteristics, three types of soil are taken into consideration in order to comprehend the significance of SSI. Chimneys of different elevations are selected for the parametric study. The raft thickness is being varied. Wind analysis is carried out in accordance with IS: 4998:2015, and the wind speed taken into account during the analysis is 55 m/s. The along-wind force and across-wind force is being calculated in the study. Three-dimensional finite element tool ABAQUS is used for the analysis based on the direct method of SSI. The lateral deflection and base moment of the tall chimney are evaluated through SSI analysis and compared with the response obtained from chimney with fixed base. Base moment decreases significantly with effect of SSI. Performance of chimney considerably depends upon the material characteristics of chimney, foundation and soil. When we considered the effect of SSI as height increases lateral deflection also increases due to flexibility of soil compared to fixed condition.

This paper provides a detailed investigation into the possible application of palm oil fuel ash (POFA) as a soil stabilizer for kaolinite-rich laterite soil. Extensive research has been conducted on POFA, a by-product of palm oil processing, owing to its potential engineering properties. When used as an additive to soil, POFA has shown promising results in terms of improved shear strength and durability. The study is specifically focused on analyzing the impact of POFA on kaolinite-rich laterite soil, which is commonly used in construction in southern Kerala. The pozzolanic properties of POFA are attributed to its effectiveness in stabilizing the soil. Standard proctor tests, unconfined compressive strength (UCS) tests, CBR tests, and wetting–drying tests were conducted on both untreated and the Soil-POFA-treated mixes. The POFA dosage was varied from 0 to 60% by weight of the soil to determine the ideal dosage for soil stabilization. Additionally, to assess the pozzolanic effect of POFA, we analyzed the microstructure of the unstabilized and stabilized soil mixes using SEM analysis. The specimens were cured for 1 and 7 days. According to the findings, the incorporation of POFA into the kaolinite-rich laterite soil led to a notable improvement in its strength and durability, indicating that it is a feasible choice for construction applications. SEM images provided additional evidence supporting the formation of cementitious gels and alterations in soil porosity resulting from the inclusion of POFA.

At places where the land restrictions exist, the construction of embankments with flat side slope is an issue. During such circumstances, the embankment side slopes were steepened by providing the geosynthetic reinforcements to the embankment body. The stability of these body-reinforced embankments under static loading conditions is well explained in the literature. Though there are studies on their seismic behaviour, the analysis of these embankments supported on different foundation soils and provision of very steep slopes under seismic loading need to be studied. An attempt is made in this article to study the effect of embankment side slope and foundation soil property by performing the numerical analysis of body-reinforced embankments subjected to seismic excitations. The embankment body is reinforced with six layers of geogrid having 500 kN/m tensile stiffness with 1 m vertical spacing along the embankment elevation on both sides of the embankment slope. The crest centre accelerations, face lateral displacements and crest vertical displacements are observed. The analysis of results indicates that, though the reinforcements are provided at the side slope and not extended throughout the embankment body, the addition of reinforcement could reduce more than 80% of the lateral displacements at crest centre. The reduction of face horizontal displacements due to the inclusion of reinforcement is much effective in steep slopes than in shallow slopes.

One of the methods that can be effectively used for stabilisation of vertical cuts, excavations and natural slopes is soil nailing. It comprises of insertion of nails into the soil mass to be retained and providing stability to it against failure. This study deals with numerical analysis of vertical cuts under static loading that have been stabilised using soil nailing by incorporating soil-structure interaction. Performance and characteristics of soil nailed vertical cuts of three different heights are evaluated. Finite element analysis of 6 m, 10 m and 14 m high soil nailed walls retaining three different types of soil masses are performed to evaluate the response of the structure under different parameters to obtain the more stable structure against overall failure. Stability of these structures expressed with respect to global factor of safety are evaluated using ϕ-c reduction analysis. Horizontal displacement of wall and mobilised axial nail forces are also determined. The effect of orientation of nail with horizontal and length of nail inserted into the soil mass on the response of nailed structures are evaluated. Studies conclude that the nail inclination of 15° results in maximum safety factor, minimum deformation and least axial nail forces. Increasing nail length results in structures with higher safety factors but a minimum length of 0.7 times the height of the wall is recommended.

The utilization of piled-raft foundations is prevalent in buildings constructed on soft soil to mitigate settlement and increase bearing capacity. Nevertheless, if dynamic loading is not suitably considered during the design phase, these foundations may fail. This investigation utilizes three-dimensional finite element analyses in OpenSees to explore the seismic behaviour of mid-rise buildings with piled-raft foundations founded on soft soil. The principal focus of this study is on the influence of soil-foundation-structure interactions (SFSIs) under earthquake loadings. For this purpose, the El-Centro 1979 earthquake was used as the base acceleration underneath the soil layer to simulate the seismic conditions. The study scrutinizes the influence of pile flexural rigidity and superstructure configuration (G + 2, G + 4, G + 7) on the responses of mid-rise buildings on piled-raft foundations under earthquake loading. The findings revealed that buildings with a higher number of floors exhibit larger inter-storey drift with consideration of SFSI. Additionally, an increase in pile flexural rigidity significantly diminishes lateral displacements and shear force during earthquake loading. This study highlights that the flexural rigidity of pile and superstructure configuration are two pivotal factors that determine the response of piled-raft foundations of mid-rise buildings under earthquake loading. Proper consideration of these factors during the design phase can help mitigate the risk of failure and improve the performance of buildings with piled-raft foundations founded in soft soil.

A common and very efficient method for strengthening soft soils, supporting foundation stability, reducing differential settlement, increasing the bearing capacity of soft soils, and enhancing their overall performance is the use of stone columns, which has been widely welcomed by geotechnical engineers. Particularly when used with somewhat lightweight buildings, these columns demonstrate increased effectiveness. The finite element method (FEM)-based programme Plaxis 3D was used to run numerical simulations in this research work to examine the behaviour of stone columns. The goal of this study explores many factors, including columns diameter, length, and material characteristics which affect the performance of stone columns on the stability and geotechnical qualities of soft clayey soil. The upgraded ground's improved load-carrying capacity is carefully studied, both qualitatively and quantitatively. The results of the investigation show a notable increase in the stone columns’ ability to support loads, highlighting their load-carrying capacity and reduction in bulging of stone columns as a dependable ground improvement solution.

Embankments constructed on soft soils have a tendency to spread load laterally because of horizontal earth pressures acting within the embankment. Such soils possess poor properties such as high compressibility, low shear, and bearing capacity. Embankments on such soft ground commonly adopted for the construction of roads, bridges, etc. are often affected by long term settlements. To overcome these problems construction of embankment supported by pile foundation is a reliable solution. Provision of end-bearing piles under the embankment reduces the displacements to a maximum extant but may not be an economical solution always. Also the provision of floating piles may not meet the displacement reduction requirements always. In such circumstances, variable length piles such as the combination of end-bearing piles and floating piles is a workable solution to reinforce the basal geogrid. This paper presents the results of basal geogrid reinforced pile supported embankment using three-dimensional finite element analysis with pile length variation to analyze the settlement and lateral displacement of the embankment. According to the findings, the variable length pile supported embankment reduces the settlements to a greater extant when compared with the floating pile supported embankment.

Understanding rock behaviour at high temperatures can serve as vital information in restoring fire-damaged monumental structures. This knowledge is essential for engineering and construction purposes, as it allows for assessing rock stability and potential hazards and developing appropriate safety measures in areas with high temperatures. This study investigates the effect of different temperatures on two sandstones with varying grain sizes. The rock was first heated to a range of temperatures such as 35, 250, 500, 750, and 1000 °C. To identify the thermal damage of the rock samples, the Ultrasonic Pulse Velocity measurement instrument is used to identify the inner cracks. This research discusses the application of Ultrasonic Pulse velocity (UPV) to identify thermal damage and analyse related parameters of two different sandstones. The ultrasonic method is one of the simple and reliable techniques to understand the damage conditions of rocks. There were significant variations in the P-wave velocity with thermal treatment, it is observed that a negative trend developed in the primary wave velocity as the temperature increased. They give qualitative and quantitative inferences on the extent of damage caused by various environmental parameters, particularly heating. The data obtained from the present study were compared to check the confidence of regression models. The mean absolute percentage error method, the root mean square error method (RMSE), was carried out on thermal damage of rock samples. Probabilistic analysis was also conducted to estimate the damage on rocks at different confidence levels.

India being an agricultural economy faces a significant breakthrough in treating waste. In this scenario, production of biogas proves to be an efficient method. This research focuses on the production of biogas with high biomethane potential by treating organic food waste with cow dung under anaerobic conditions. To identify the parameters influencing biogas production and to determine the cumulative methane yield, batch tests were conducted. Concordant results were obtained for a dilution ratio 1:2 for cow dung and water and volatile solids of 61.2 g/L with a cumulative biogas production of 11.47 ml/g VS for a period of 7 days. Modified Gompertz model and logistic function model were used for kinetic modeling and to produce a perfect goodness of fit.

Due to nation’s rapid urbanization and changing dynamics of the waste characteristics, local authorities and policymakers at various levels of government pose a difficulty in managing solid waste. The poor collection efficiency, inadequate planning and lack of research on evolving complexities of municipal solid waste all contribute to the management of solid waste which serves to obscure the objective of sustainable management. Understanding waste volumes, characteristics and current waste management practices are necessary to develop a long-term SWM strategy in accordance with the government effort’s objectives. A summary of current waste management initiatives, institutional demographics in Bengaluru’s Vijayanagar area and field study assessing the SWM system are all provided in this article. Data from stakeholders and municipal officials were gathered as part of the study’s methodology employing an approach that encouraged participation. The research's findings are intended to assist local communities create waste management systems and hasten the shift to sustainable and environmentally friendly systems.

With a view to compare the quantity and quality characteristics of greywater from different sources, raw greywater was collected from a household, a girls’ hostel and a boys’ hostel daily for four months. Mixed greywater from the hand basin, bathroom and laundry was collected in each case. The results showed that the mean greywater generation from the household, the girls’ hostel and the boys’ hostel was 60, 85 and 80 L/person/day, respectively. No significant difference in greywater generation was observed for days of the week and the months of the year for a particular source. Greywater from the household was more polluted compared to the greywater from the girls’ hostel and boys’ hostel for different physicochemical and microbiological parameters, and no significant difference was observed in the quality of greywater from the boys’ hostel and the girls’ hostel except for NH4-N. Turbidity, COD and NH4-N in greywater from the household were 258 NTU, 522 mg/L and 11.63 mg/L, while PO4-P and faecal coliforms were 5.94 mg/L and 7.8 × 104 CFU/100 ml, respectively. Copper, zinc and chromium concentrations in the greywater from the household were 65.05, 240.43 and 26 µg/L, respectively. The turbidity, organic content, PO4-P and faecal coliform concentration in household greywater were at least three times higher than those in hostel greywater, while the concentrations of Cu and Zn were at least two times higher. Results indicated that the quality of greywater was related to the quantity of greywater generation and the source of greywater needs to be considered in the selection of the greywater treatment technology.

Geopolymers are produced by a polymerization reaction of strong alkaline liquids such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH), sodium silicate with the source material of geological origin or by product material such as fly ash, GGBS, metakaolin. The mixture can be cured at room temperature or heat cured. This innovation is mainly focused on the ambient temperature cured geopolymer bricks produced from the Sludge and Industrial waste fly ash, GGBS geopolymer is an alternate material for the construction industry reducing environmental pollution leading to sustainable environment satisfying all the properties. Disposal of sludge waste reduces environmental pollution due to suspended particulate matter (SPM). This experimental investigation deals with the optimum utilization of tannery sludge in production of geopolymer bricks. From the results of compressive strength, water absorption it has been concluded that 30% of tannery sludge can be replaced into industrial waste in production of geopolymer bricks, leading to the sustainable environment.

Soil erosion models are crucial for soil conservation planning and environmental assessments globally. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE)-based models are most popular empirical models for estimating soil erosion. The topographic factor (LS factor), which combines slope length and slope steepness, significantly affects soil loss among the input parameters. This study aimed to estimate the LS factor for the Netravati watershed in Karnataka, India, which has a high elevation variation (0–1719 m) and diverse terrain, posing soil erosion and local landslide risks that require conservation planning. Three different methods were employed for dimensionless LS factor estimation: Wischmeier and Smith equation (Method I), Moore and Burch equation (Method II), and Desmet and Govers equation (Method III) along with Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques and a high-resolution (12.5 m) ALOS-PALSAR Digital Elevation Model (DEM). The LS factor values ranged from 0.06 to 1549.39 for Method I, 0 to 191.72 for Method II, and 0.03 to 149.09 for Method III. The results showed that Method III produced values that were evenly distributed throughout the spatial domain, with a mean value of 3.31 and a standard deviation of 4.87. Method I generated very high LS factor values along the flow path and almost uniform values for the rest of the study area. The mean LS factor values for Method I and Method II were 8.31 and 7.41, respectively, with standard deviations of 18.74 and 9.88. The findings of this research suggest that Method III is preferable approach for estimating LS factor values in a spatial domain due to its even distribution of values and low standard deviation. This study demonstrates that estimating the LS factor is impacted by the availability and accuracy of topographic data and the technique used. The findings can be used to support sustainable land management practices in the study area.

The quantification of both air pollutants and noise is important to understand the impact of festival on pollution at toll plaza. Toll plazas can cause deterioration of air quality due to increased emission of pollutants caused by stop and go process. The present study was conducted at a toll plaza in front of National Institute of Technology, Karnataka, which is 39 kms from Udupi, Karnataka, to assess the impact of vehicular movement due to Paryaya festival, which was on the third week of January 2020 at Udupi, on noise and air pollution at study area. Data regarding meteorological parameters and traffic volume were also considered during the study. Experiments were carried out at toll plaza for one week, including pre- and post-festival days. In this study, a spearman correlation matrix between air pollutants and meteorological parameters (temperature, pressure, precipitable water content, relative humidity, and wind speed) were also investigated. The concentration of air pollutants (TSPM, SO2, CO2) and noise were more on the day of festival as the number of vehicles plying on the road was higher in number. Maximum positive correlation was observed between concentration of CO and precipitable water content (ρ = 0.900) and minimum between SO2 and precipitable water content (ρ = 0.000). Precipitable water content was positively correlated with all air pollutants (TSPM, NO2, CO, and CO2), and no correlation was observed with SO2. The results show the impact of increase in vehicular movement due to festival on the quality of ambient air and role of meteorology on urban air pollution.

In recent years, constructed wetlands have been successful in treating domestic wastewater. The towery hybrid and bio-rack constructed wetlands are two new emerging technologies in a constructed wetland. A lab-scale model of a towery bio-rack constructed wetland (TBRCW) is developed at Walchand College of Engineering, Sangli, India. The Typha angustifolia plant species were vegetated in the system. The system was operated in sequential batch and continuous modes. The hydraulic retention time used was 17 and 7 h for batch and continuous modes, respectively. The operation simulates a typical intermittent flow from sources of wastewater generation. The performance assessment shows average COD removal efficiency of 50% and 67.14% for a continuous and batch mode of operation in sequence, respectively. Further, the dissolved oxygen level was also enhanced by 0.7 mg/L in the system.

Coagulation–flocculation is widely used to treat surface water, resulting in the generation of huge quantity of water treatment residuals (WTRs). Disposal of WTRs in landfills or natural water bodies can lead to environmental problems and bioaccumulation of toxic substances. As a result, sustainable and environmentally friendly management options for WTRs are being explored, with a focus on beneficial reuse strategies. Various beneficial reuses of WTRs have been studied, including direct use in wastewater treatment and recovery of coagulants from WTRs for reuse in wastewater treatment. Among the various approaches being studied, the recovery of coagulants from WTRs for reuse as a coagulant in wastewater treatment is extensively reported. This approach has several advantages, including reducing the volume of WTRs, minimizing the demand for fresh coagulants, lowering the cost of sludge disposal, reducing the toxic elements in water bodies, and reusing aluminum or iron present in WTRs as a recovered coagulant for removing contaminants. This paper presents various methods, including acidification, basification, membrane separation processes, and thermal treatment, used for coagulant recovery from WTRs. Factors affecting coagulant recovery and studies on optimizing the coagulant recovery processes are discussed. A brief overview of the use of recovered coagulant in wastewater treatment is also presented.

The bio-rack wetland system is a recently developed natural method of treating wastewater. Various modifications are possible in the bio-rack wetland to enhance its performance. In the present study, a newly configured bio-rack is developed. It consists of a vertical followed by an inclined bio-rack system and is vegetated with Typha Angustifolia L. The inclined portion acts as a settler and biological reactor. The developed system was operated sequentially in batch and continuous modes of operation to treat domestic wastewater. The Hydraulic Retention Time (HRT) used was 17 and 7 h for batch and continuous modes, respectively. The operation simulates a typical intermittent flow from sources of wastewater generation. After 6 weeks of operation, preliminary results show that the COD removal efficiency was 30% and 35% in continuous and batch modes, respectively. The suspended solids removal efficiency was 38% for continuous mode and 58% for sequential batch mode. The system was found to be more appropriate for the removal of decayed roots in the bio-rack system.

Sustainable use of toilets and providing technologies suitable for rural areas is still an open-ended loop. It has been observed in most of the rural areas that the de-sludging activity happens in a very erratic and irregular manner. During open defecation free has built single pit systems, over the period it’s noticed that pits were full and it’s affecting public behaviour change and majorly costing social, economic and environmental issues like water, soil and air pollution and aesthetic appearance. Faecal Sludge Management and providing continuous access to toilets at present is becoming a biggest challenge with the limited facilities like Space constraint and lack of access to technology and connectivity to urban infrastructure. This paper analysis various treatment technologies available for faecal sludge along with their end products, and the study was carried out to understand the existing toilet facilities on ground in rural areas of Bellur Gram panchayath of Chikkaballapur district.

Advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) are increasingly being adopted for treatment of industrial wastewaters for eliminating organic elements. Although the reduction in chemical oxidation generally reduces toxicity, high efficiency of organic component breakdown does not always result in a drop in toxicity to a tolerable level. Hence, toxicity reduction studies for industrial effluent are required. However, it is difficult to carry out toxicity studies with higher vertebrates due to ethical and logistical constraints. Therefore, proxy tests, such as the use of indicator bacteria, have the potential to provide insights for toxicological studies of (treated) wastewater. Having reviewed various methods and indicators adopted for toxicity analysis of AOP treated wastewater, the toxicity of treated paint wastewater was studied by bacterial growth inhibition test using Bacillus subtilis and seed germination test using mung bean (Vigna radiata) and Bengal gram (Cicer arietinum). The results showed that the treated wastewater is completely toxic free for the growth of indicator bacteria. This indicates that the heterogeneous Fenton’s oxidation using laterite as catalyst is an effective AOP in reducing the toxicity of paint wastewater. The finding reported in this research is significant because it proves laterite soil, which is abundantly available in tropical regions, to be an efficient catalyst for Fenton’s Oxidation treatment of paint wastewater which opens up further scope for treatment of other similar industrial effluents in tropical regions.

Solapur is one of the important cities of western Maharashtra. Agroclimatically entire district and Solapur city come under rain shadow area. Rainfall is uncertain and scanty. Solapur is declared as a smart city under Phase I (Solapur City Action Plan, Revised action plan for control of air pollution in Solapur. Maharashtra Pollution Control Board [MPCB], pp 4–8, 2004) but on the other hand, it is also included in the most polluted in terms of particulate pollution. A few of the major factors responsible for increased air pollution are the large number of vehicles, dry weather, and road conditions. As a result, a lot of dust accumulates on roadsides. The municipal corporation collects this dust and throws it at the outskirts of the city to fill low-lying areas. Therefore, a study was undertaken to utilize this roadside dust in burnt clay bricks. Base material (BM)(Soil) and roadside dust (RD) were analysed in the laboratory for their physical properties like density, specific gravity, liquid limit, etc. Chemical characterization was done using ICP-AES, and TG-DTA at IITB and SIT Cochin. ICP AES analysis suggested that roadside dust could be amended in base material for the manufacturing of burnt clay bricks. Iron, aluminium, and silica are the main ingredients found in BM and RD contributing towards the strength of burnt clay bricks. BM was replaced by RD % by weight up to 70%. Fired clay bricks were tested for compressive strength and water absorption. All trial bricks satisfied water absorption criteria of less than 20% value and bricks with 35% RD gave maximum compressive strength, i.e. over 30 N/mm2. This study will help the municipal corporation to solve the problem of roadside dust and reduce particulate pollution in Solapur city along with soil conservation.

Rainfall affects India's economy and agricultural activities, which largely rely on it. From Rajasthan's arid deserts to the northeast's heavy rainfall, India's rainfall patterns vary. India receives 1170 mm of rainfall annually, distributed unevenly, especially in northern India. Climate change, urbanization, and water demand affect rainfall patterns and river flow of the Upper Sabarmati River Basin due to unevenly distributed rainfall, which supplies 8208 sq. km. of water to the region. Water management requires understanding the basin's hydrological processes and flood characteristics. Using rainfall, streamflow, and land use data, the study creates a basin hydrological model. ArcGIS and Hydrological Engineering Center-Hydrological Model System (HEC-HMS) simulate water movement through the basin and allow for scenario analysis of land use and climate changes. Hydrological modelling shows that changing land use, such as converting forests and farms to cities, can increase peak flow rates and decrease base flow rates. Different climate scenarios show that climate change can increase precipitation and streamflow variability, which can increase basin flood risks. This study also used Log-Pearson Type III distribution to analyse flood frequency in the basin for Jotasan and Kheroj stations. This analysis helps assess flood risk and plan flood management infrastructure and recurrence flood interval. The SCS CN technique demonstrated a strong correspondence between the measured and modelled peak discharge values. The calibrated model had a Nash-Sutcliffe value (NSE), R2, and RMSE standard deviation value of 0.829, 0.937, and 0.4, respectively, while the validated model had values of 0.736, 0.935, and 0.5 respectively. The R2 value for flood frequency analysis was 0.961 and 0.781 Jotasan and Kheroj, respectively. This research work can help create sustainable water management policies that account for the basin's hydrological processes and floods.

Identifying and mapping the flood-prone area is a vital element of any flood management programme. Hydraulic modelling and remote sensing have been used for decades to predict flood events. In this study, unsteady flow analyses have been performed using the Hydrologic Engineering Centre-River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) software. The geometry file is created using the RAS Mapper tool. The study area selected is a 68 km stretch of the Harangi River from Kudige (12° 31′N, 75° 57′E) to Chunchunkatte (12° 30′24′′N, 76° 18′0′′E) gauging station in Karnataka. The required discharge data is collected from Central Water Commission, Bangalore. Manning’s roughness coefficient (n) is used as a simulating parameter to perform inundation mapping for the years 2018 and 2019, as the discharge in the river is high (2435, 2297 m3/s). Gumbel, Log-Pearson Type-3 (LP3) and Log-Normal (LN) distributions have been used to calculate peak discharges with return periods of 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 years. The calibration and validation of the model is carried out by using data of simulated and observed discharge at the Chunchunkatte gauging station, which shows that the model developed in the present study is accurate. The result of the study shows that Manning’s n ranges between 0.003 and 0.005. For n = 0.005, the performance indices NSE, RMSE and R2 during calibration for the year 2018 are 0.663, 397.061 m3/s and 0.896; validation for the year 2019 is 0.72, 346.621 m3/s and 0.914; and the peak discharge for 100 years return period is 3419.48 m3/s via Gumbel distribution. The output of this study could be useful for flood control authorities to take necessary actions to prevent losses due to floods in the area.

For the last two centuries, the Earth's land cover has undergone fast change, and all indications indicate that this trend will continue. This shift is being driven by economic development and population expansion. For the management of natural resources and the observation of environmental changes, land use and land cover (LULC) change has become a key element. Natural landscapes have undergone significant change as a result of anthropogenic activity, particularly in areas where population increase and climate change have a significant impact. To effectively manage the environment, especially water management, it is essential to understand how trends in land use and land cover (LULC) change. This study used remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) to examine changes in LULC patterns during a 20-year period in the Kali River Basin. LULC changes were mapped using multitemporal Landsat series satellite images. Landsat-5 image of 2002 and Landsat-8 image of 2022 were obtained for the purpose of the study. Maximum likely hood algorithm was used to detect areas of change with supervised classification, performed in ERDAS Imagine 2014 and took minimum of 100 samples and maximum of 250 samples of ground truth data for each class. The supervised classification produced good results with overall accuracies of 91.58% and 89.47% for the 2002 and 2022, respectively. The results of the change detection analysis conducted between 2002 and 2022 demonstrate the extent of LULC changes that have taken place in various LULC classes, while the majority of the river basin's grassland, barren land, and open forest have undergone intensive conversion to cultivated land and built-up areas. These modifications show that population growth was responsible for the rise in cultivated land and built-up areas.

River health assessment is critical, and it is essential to monitor the river's quality and health condition. Because most rivers are drying up and becoming polluted as a result of a lack of assessment and regular maintenance, all major elements of a riverine system, such as aquatic flora and fauna, water quality, habitat, hydrology, the physical shape of the channel, and other geomorphological elements, should be considered and included in it. The objective of this research is to assess the health of the Netravathi River using physiochemical parameters. River Netravathi is the only freshwater resource in Mangalore's coastal metropolis. The river flows 103 km from its point of origin to Mangalore city, with catchment area of 3657 Km2. To assess river health, seven physical parameters were measured seasonally at the river site, and laboratory testing of river water samples for eight chemical parameters have been carried out. Rivers are essential to the life and survival of many plant and animal species. The discharge of sewage, industrial effluents, municipal solid waste, agricultural waste all of which impact the water quality carried by river flow. According to the findings, the health of the River Netravathi is considerably better in the post-monsoon season than in the pre-monsoon season, because the river becomes dry in most sections of the district and the flow of river water drops dramatically.

Urban flooding is a growing concern in many cities around the world, particularly in areas that are prone to heavy rains. In this study, we focused on a small drain catchment in an urban area in Mangalore and simulated the actual conditions of the drain to replicate what is found in the field. An extreme rain event was input into the PCSWMM software to find out the flooding conditions, which were then calibrated based on the flooding that had taken place during this particular rain event. We then redesigned the drains at the required portions to make the flooding conditions zero for the extreme rain event. This work is a small part of a larger project that aims to explore various techniques to reduce stormwater flooding in urban areas using structural, non-structural, and lid techniques. The results of this study provide insights into the effectiveness of this approach in mitigating urban flooding, and can serve as a basis for further research in this area.

Water plays an important role in sustaining life on earth hence it is necessary to store water and increase the ground water table. Due to the increase in population, the demand for water has also risen over a period of time. The area with sufficient rainfall is also facing scarcity of water due to improper water storage management. In order to overcome the scarcity of water, vented dams are constructed to harvest the water. The present study is attempted for two vented dams that are at Nethravathi River and Papanashini River. In order to increase the storage of water in the reservoir the height of the dam gate is increased by 2 m on the existing height. Due to which there is submergence of land and there is increase in area of storage. Bathymetry survey is carried out to determine the depth of water stored and volume is estimated. The water stored can be used for irrigation, surrounding agricultural purposes.

Floods have claimed the lives of countless people and caused significant property damage, jeopardizing their livelihoods. The study area is the Vembanad Lake System in Kerala, India has faced severe flooding in 2018 due to torrential rainfall. Considering that Google Earth Engine (GEE) streamlines and simplifies the complex and time-consuming pre-processing of SAR images, this paper evaluates flood inundation mapping using Sentinel-1 SAR data for 2018. The flood inundation zone for the study is calculated using the Land Use Land Cover (LULC) map for 2018 and the forecasted LULC for 2035 and 2050. Hence, the research assesses the areas affected by floods in 2018 and those that may experience flooding of a similar degree in the near future. Thus, the extent of flood inundation during the 2018 floods and the potential flood inundation region for future LULC in 2035 and 2050 are determined. From the analysis, 14.7 km2 of built-up area was inundated during the 2018 floods. The 2018 flood event is used to quantify the flood that may inundate the future LULC in 2035 and 2050; it is found that the flood will affect about 19.87 km2 and 23.32 km2 of the built-up region, respectively. According to the study, the built-up area impacted by the flooding will increase by 34.99% and 58.4% from 2018 to 2035 and 2050, respectively. Examining the flood-prone areas and potential flood-affected areas in the future will be of great use to planners in their efforts to forewarn of an impending tragedy.