Hazardous area map: an approach of sustainable urban planning and industrial development—a review

Natural Hazards - A hazard map is a map which shows about all the vulnerable regions present in any country or at any specific place or location which is affected or will be affected by natural...     

Implementing Vetiver grass-based riverbank protection programmes in rural West Bengal,India

The largely impoverished rural communities of India are unable to bear the costs involved in creating and maintaining substantial structural measures for riverbank protection. The monsoonal nature of the country’s streams and an agrarian economy based on intensive cultivation further heighten the risk posed by annual peak flows and shifting stream courses. Mitigating this requires urgent, sustainable and cost-effective means of conserving valuable farmlands and stabilising channel boundaries. Towards this, riverbank erosion mitigation using Vetiver grass has been a recent development in the country and has been experimented with in a few areas. In this article, we examine how such riparian buffers are created through riverbank modification, planted and nurtured and the effectiveness of the grass in mitigating erosion, taking a small case study from rural West Bengal as an example. We especially focus on the government policies and frameworks and local stakeholder involvements that facilitate such an undertaking, with particular emphasis on the organisational workflow and the ground-level perception of such endeavours, as these are crucial to the success and effectiveness of such schemes. The marked successes achieved through the use of the Vetiver grass in abating erosion and the hindrances encountered in implementing such mitigation projects are outlined, along with the importance of such community-based approaches to river management and monitoring. This case study can be a microcosm for similar such endeavours, particularly in the rural global south.

     

Probing for overshooting as extreme event of thunderstorms

Thunderstorm overshooting is rare but not an unusual phenomenon in a metropolitan of India, Kolkata (22.57° N; 88.36° E) during the pre-monsoon months (April–May). An attempt is made in this study to identify the important parameters differentiating the thunderstorms in overshooting and non-overshooting categories through data analytics from 2000 to 2015. The present investigation on parametric classification would facilitate in estimating the predictability of thunderstorms with overshooting which subsequently might assist in operational forecast of thunderstorm severity over Kolkata. The altitudes of lifting condensation level (LCL), wind shear, bulk Richardson number (BRN), gust speed, boundary layer characteristics and their correlation with thunderstorm cloud top height (CTH) and also their variation and distribution during overshooting (OTS) and non-overshooting (TS) thunderstorms are analyzed in this study. The result depicts that over Kolkata the intensity of storms during OTS is higher than during TS though the frequency of OTS is less than that of TS. The results further show that the potential temperature (θ), equivalent potential temperature (θ_e), mixing ratio (e_s) in the boundary layer, convective available potential energy, convective inhibition energy, BRN and gust speed play significant roles in regulating the CTH during OTS and TS thunderstorms over Kolkata.

     

Rock-physics forward modelling to predict seismic behaviour: A case study for exploration target in Mahanadi basin,East Coast of India

One of the major aspects of rock-physics forward modelling is to predict seismic behaviour at an undrilled location using drilled well data. It is important to model the rock and fluid properties away from drilled wells to characterize the reservoir and investigate the root causes of different seismic responses. Using the forward modelling technique, it is possible to explain the amplitude responses of present seismic data in terms of probable rock and reservoir properties. In this context, rock-physics modelling adds significant values in the prospect maturation process by reducing the risk of reservoir presence in exploration and appraisal phases. The synthetic amplitude variation with offset gathers from the forward model is compared with real seismic gathers to ensure the fidelity of the existing geological model. ‘Prospect A’ in the study area has been identified from seismic interpretation, which was deposited as slope fan sediments in Mahanadi basin, East Coast of India. The mapped prospect has shown class-I amplitude variation with offset response in seismic without any direct hydrocarbon indicator support. The existing geological model suggests the presence of an excellent gas reservoir with proven charge access from the fetch area, moderate porosity and type of lithology within this fan prospect. But, whether the seismic response from this geological model will exhibit a class-I amplitude variation with offset behaviour or ‘dim spot’ will be visible; the objective of the present study is to investigate these queries. A rock-physics depth trend analysis has been done to envisage the possibilities of class-I reservoir in ‘Prospect A’. Forward modelling, using a combination of mechanical and chemical compaction, shows the synthetic gas gathers at ‘Prospect A’, which are class I in nature. The study has also depicted 2D forward modelling using lithology and fluid properties of discovery well within similar stratigraphy to predict whether ‘dim spot’ will be seen in seismic. The estimated change in synthetic amplitude response has been observed as ∼5% at contact, which suggests that the changes will not be visible in seismic. The study connects the existing geological model with a top-down seismic interpretation using rock-physics forward modelling technique to mature a deep-water exploratory prospect.     

RETRACTED ARTICLE: Development prospects of groundwater resources in an elliptical shape island,Union Territory of Lakshadweep,India

A major problem of the islanders is the availability of fresh water for drinking purpose. Groundwater is the only source of fresh water for the islanders. The demand for groundwater is increasing very year due to growing population and urbanization. A proper understanding of the groundwater condition is important in order to meet this increasing demand and to formulate future development and management strategies. It is in this context, principal hydrogeologic units; water table fluctuation pattern, general groundwater potential, existing groundwater withdrawal structures and draft, water quality, etc. have been studied in an elliptical shape Andrott Island of Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India, through field investigation and secondary data collection. Groundwater occurs under phreatic condition and seawater is in hydraulic continuity with the groundwater as evidenced by the tidal influence in almost all the wells. Groundwater level fluctuation due to seasonal variation varies from 0 to 0.542 m depending on the distance of the well from the coast. Depth to groundwater level varies from less than 1.234 to 3.520 m depending on the topography. Groundwater level fluctuation is due to the combination of factors like rainfall, tidal activities, sub-surface runoff, and draft. Large diameter dug wells are the main groundwater extraction structures in this island. There are 2,143 dug wells with almost each family having its own well and the density of the dug wells is about 437/km². The stage of groundwater development is estimated as 37% and hence “Safe” for further groundwater development in this island. However, considering the very limited fresh-water resources and also the growing demand for groundwater, various management strategies such as rainwater harvesting, artificial recharge of groundwater, public participation in water conservation and wise use of groundwater, etc., have been suggested.     

Identification of active seismicity by fractal analysis for understanding the recent geodynamics of Central Himalaya

Seismicity along the Himalayan front is mostly attributed to the processes of collision between the Indian and the Eurasian plates resulting in the under-thrusting of the Indian Peninsula underneath the Himalaya. The dynamics of the region bears very complex components which require in-depth understanding. Here the overall rate of crustal shortening since ∼ 11 Ma is ∼ 21mm/yr, which is comparable to modern rate of under-thrusting of the northern Indian plate beneath the Himalaya. The region experienced a large number of great earthquakes for the last 100–120 years causing massive destruction. Here an attempt has been made to understand the seismicity pattern of the region using fractal correlation dimension and hence used for the detection of active seismicity. Some clusters of seismicity were found to be indicative of seismically very active zones. Such clusters may enlighten the understanding of recent complex dynamics of Himalayan zone.     

Earthquake forerunner as probable precursor — an example from north burma subduction zone

The Burmese Arc seismic activity is not uniform for its ∼ 1100 km length; only the Northern Burmese Arc (NBA) is intensely active. Six large earthquakes in the magnitude range 6.1–7.4 have originated from the NBA Benioff zone between 1954–2011, within an area of 200 × 300 km² where the Indian plate subducts eastward to depths beyond 200 km below the Burma plate. An analysis on seismogenesis of this interplate region suggests that while the subducting lithosphere is characterized by profuse seismicity, seismicity in the overriding plate is rather few. Large earthquakes occurring in the overriding plate are associated with the backarc Shan-Sagaing Fault (SSF) further east. The forecasting performance of the Benioff zone earthquakes in NBA as forerunner is analysed here by: (i) spatial earthquake clustering, (ii) seismic cycles and their temporal quiescence and (iii) the characteristic temporal b-value changes. Three such clusters (C1–C3) are identified from NBA Benioff Zones I & II that are capable of generating earthquakes in the magnitude ranges of 7.38 to 7.93. Seismic cycles evidenced for the Zone I displayed distinct quiescence (Q₁, Q₂ and Q₃) prior to the 6^th August 1988 (M 6.6) earthquake. Similar cycles were used to forecast an earthquake (Dasgupta et al. 2010) to come from the Zone I (cluster C1); which, actually struck on 4 February 2011 (M 6.3). The preparatory activity for an event has already been set in the Zone II and we speculate its occurrence as a large event (M > 6.0) possibly within the year 2012, somewhere close to cluster C3. Temporal analysis of b-value indicates a rise before an ensuing large earthquake.