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Title of Paper INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY FOR SOIL MECHANICS AND GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEERING This paper was downloaded from the Online Library of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE). The library is available here: https://www.issmge.org/publications/online-library This is an open-access database that archives thousands of papers published under the Auspices of the ISSMGE and maintained by the Innovation and Development Committee of ISSMGE. Developing a Framework for Assessment of Landslide Hazard Risk Associated with Critical National and Provincial Roads in Lao PDR N.M.S.I. Arambepola and K. Devkota Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, SM Tower, 24th Floor, 979/69 Paholyothin Road, Samsen Nai, Phayathai, Bangkok, 10400, Thailand ABSTRACT: Much of the road network of Lao PDR is located in hilly and mountainous terrain and, while the majority of the landscape is forested, landslides pose a considerable hazard to road operations. These landslide occurrences often coincide with periods of heavy monsoon rain. The climate of the country generally is mon- soonal with a distinct summer wet season. The annual rainfall totals reach over 4500 mm in general. Land- slides in Lao PDR cause frequent hold-ups to traffic on affected roads, creating direct economic impact. More over this frequent transportation disruptions create inconvenience to road users and the wider community. The cost of landslide repairs is also high, and can account for between 50% and 80% of emergency maintenance costs of the road sector annually. The purpose of the proposed framework for country-wide landslide inventory for critical national and pro- vincial roads is to facilitate taking suitable proactive cost effective measures in order to reduce landslide relat- ed disruptions to transportation network during monsoon periods. This framework also will serve as a guide- line for designing new slope stabilization measures during implementation of road expansion/improvement projects. Presently road engineers usually do not take into consideration land-slide risk potential during road improvement projects. Hence related excavations at times lead to subsequent slope destabilization. Recom- mendations will be included in the framework for identifying likely high risk landslide prone areas, which need special attention during road construction for implementation of priority mitigation measures. Landslide risk evaluation begins with the identification of potential hazard within respective road sections, physical eval- uation of the exposed slopes and characterization of the level of risk. The draft framework, also will provide methodology for inventorization and documentation of past landslides, as well as potential hazardous areas and delineate the potential future risk to transportation network. The degree of susceptibility to landslide haz- ard will be determined through physical evaluation of the upper and lower slopes of the road sections. The paper presents the methodology adapted for assessment of landslide hazard risk associated with critical national and provincial roads. 1 INTRODUCTION 24 hours being common. Therefore rainfall and the mountainous relief are considered to be the key The Lao PDR is bordered by Vietnam to the east, factors in triggering slope failures. (SECAP, 2008) Thailand to the south and west, China to the north. It has a population of around 6.5 million. Lao is a landlocked country, which has an area extent of 2 LANDSLIDE SITUATION IN LAO ROAD 236,800 km2. Elevations within Lao PDR range NETWORK from 500 to 2000 meters above sea level and more than 75% of the land area is dominated by hilly The road network within the mountainous regions and mountainous landforms. of Northern Lao is disturbed often due to The geology of Laos is complex and includes a occurrence of most common types of landslides wide variety of rock types, of a range of igneous, such as shallow debris slides and cutting failures. sedimentary and metamorphic origins. Many rock The depth is usually limited to 1-2 m and masses exposed in road cuttings and in the natural frequently originate in the upper, more weathered slopes are highly disturbed and jointed due to tec- portion of the cut slope. They also often occur tonic processes, and so are vulnerable due to po- along the rock head surface which usually dips out tential instability. Rainfall pattern of Laos is domi- of the cutting as such formations present ideal nated by the south-west monsoon. Annual rainfalls conditions for sliding. The failure usually occur of 3000 to 4000 mm are not uncommon and rain- due to increased soil saturation and increase in storms can yield intense rainfall, with 100 mm in pore pressures within the residual soil layer and 523 ICGE Colombo – 2015 highly weathered mass as rainwater and subsoil Luang Prabang national highway and located in the drainage usually percolates down through Phoukhoun district of Luang Prabang Province. relatively impermeable surface (SECAP 2008). A During the study several landslide sites were typical failure in a road slope is shown in Fig 1. In located and mapped out in detail. addition there are occasional rock falls and deep sliding or slope failures in cuttings but they are less 4 LANDSLIDE RISK ASSESSMENT frequent. Such failures are often creating major problems to DoR due to either complete or partial Landslide hazard map at National scale has been blockage of the road way and subsequent prepared by ADPC- Thailand under the Multi- maintenance expenditure associated with hazard Risk assessment project initiated by UNDP. reconstruction work. Shallow as well as deep Using the same, major National and provincial failures often occur in the weathered formations, road sections that are prone to landslide hazard has along adversely orientated joint planes or in been identified. The list of such road sections have colluvium deposits. Such failures are responsible been provided to DoR for undertaking further vul- for removal of several meters thick soil mass, nerability assessments. The pilot study area select- occupy a wider area on the up slope and/or down ed is one of the important sections of the National slope and lead to subsequent gradual expansion. road network and found to be highly vulnerable to Rock falls often occur on the roadway upslope landslide hazard. along adversely orientated joint planes. 4.1 The road slope assessment 3 ROAD SLOPE ASSESSMENT AND A road slope assessment has been introduced for INVETORIZING PAST LANDSLIDES the road sections that have been identified as the most vulnerable road sections during the national The a direct socio-economic impacts and cost of level landslide hazard zonation mapping. The landslide repairs due to frequent hold-ups of traffic underlying geology, degree of weathering, is high, and can account for between 50% and 80% typology of rock formations, jointing, hydrology of annual emergency maintenance costs of national etc. combined with the steep topography associated roads. In order to mainstream the process of with the road trace, create conditions in which landslide risk reduction in the road sector, a study landslides can occur. Variations in the storm was performed by the Asian Disaster Preparedness rainfall trends, drainage and land use can Center (ADPC), Thailand. This has been initiated accelerates slope instability of road sections in the by the Ministries of Planning and Investment, mountain terrain. A sample check list and the (MPI) and Public Work and Transport (MPWT) in ranking that can be used in road slope hazard Lao PDR. Main objective of the study was to assessment is provided in Table 1. It has been introduce a landslide inventory framework and introduced to help engineers of the DoH for road slope assessment methodology for National conducting independent landslide risk assessment and provincial roads. during routine inspections as well as in designing new roads, undertaking road expansions, road rehabilitation and reconstruction work etc. Table 1. Road slope assessment check sheet and ranking Items Category Rank (1) Height of 50 m ≤ H 10 slope , H (m) 30 m ≤ H < 50 m 8 10 m ≤ H < 30 m 7 H < 10 m 3 (2) Angle of 1 : 0.6 ≤ α 7 Slope, α 1 : 1.0 ≤ α < 1 : 0.6 4 α < 1 : 1.0 1 (3) Overhang Formed in no walled 7 Slope Formed in walled 4 Fig 1. A typical slope failure in the road network. Slope Not formed The pilot study area selected covers a total length of 23 Km (257 to 280 Km) in the Vientiane- 524 Arambepola and Devkota (4) Geology Many unstable 10 duce disruptions to transportation network due to stones landslide occurrences in future. Many stones on the 7 Direct intended audience of the landslides in- surface of slope ventory framework is DoR staff at various levels in Very weathered rock 6 district, provincial and national offices. Indirect Gravelly soil 5 audience is other stakeholders such as National Weathered rock 4 Disaster Management Office (NDMO), line minis- Cracked rock 4 tries and agencies, road users, NGOs, communities Sand 4 living adjacent to major roads. Clay 1 Intact rock 0 5.1 Scope of the inventory (5) Thickness More than 0.5 m 3 At the moment the occurrences of landslides are of weathered Less than 0.5 m 0 not recorded in a systematic manner. Usually soil layer debris after minor road slope failures are cleared (6) Water Flow observed 2 up by the local officers of the DoR and no proper flow No flow 0 assessments or subsequent slope stabilization measures are taken to improve the stability of (7) Frequency Often 5 slopes. The framework looks at the roles and of rock fall Occasional 3 responsibilities of different levels of DoR in None 0 inventory preparation, data storage and sharing as (8) Defor- Deformed 5 well as in follow up interventions, utilization of mation of Not deformed 0 inventory data in managing a reliable road (9)l Rock falls Occurred 5 transportation system in Lao.
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