Kinematic rockfall hazard assessment along a transportation corridor in the Upper Alaknanda valley, Garhwal Himalaya, India

The transportation route between Chamoli and Badrinath in Uttarakhand is mainly a pilgrimage route to the famous Badrinath temple, at an elevation of ~3,100 m asl. It is estimated that some two to three million vehicles use this road annually, particularly between May and October. The Lesser and Higher Himalayan rocks exposed at 23 localities along the transportation corridor contain numerous joints. In view of their orientation, blocks of rock of varying sizes are susceptible to falling, endangering the vehicular traffic and the numerous village settlements along the route. In this study, kinematic rockfall hazard analysis was carried out for all the 23 localities where in situ rocks are observed. The results of the analyses were evaluated and the areas classified as of low, moderate, or high hazard.