Geotechnical Characterization and Suitability of Dredged Material from Jhelum Flood spill channel for its potential use as Construction Material.

Abstract

Occurrence of floods in the Kashmir valley in September 2014 compelled the Govt. of Jammu and Kashmir to take the necessary steps in order to avoid the similar situation in near future. Eventually the Govt. decided to start dredging of Jhelum and its spill channel, in order to increase their capacity. As a result, a large quantity of dredged material will be obtained and there should be a proper plan in advance for the utilization of such a large quantity of dredged material. Dredged material can no longer be thrown away as a waste material. The use of dredged material can be made in the development of numerous development projects which can reduce the exploitation of primary resources needed for construction activities. But before putting the dredged material to some constructional use, it is essential to carry out investigation for its characterization and only then it can be utilized judiciously, depending on its geotechnical merit. In the present study, samples were retrieved from four locations of the Jhelum flood spill channel bed. Experimental investigations were carried out to determine the various geotechnical parameters related to the physical and engineering properties of the material. The material was classified using Indian Standard Classification System. It had been observed that the material available at these locations was predominantly fine grained inorganic silt, clayey silt with little amount of fine sand and some traces of organic matter. Based on the geotechnical characterization, the material had been critically found suitable for its potential use in embankment cores, canal linings, clay liners, landfill for low lying areas and also as compacted foundation/subgrade material