Civil Engineering and Architecture Vol. 13(2), pp. 1347 - 1359
DOI: 10.13189/cea.2025.130244
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Coupled Hydro-Mechanical Assessment of Rainfall-Triggered Slope Instability in the Nilgiri Hills: Focus on Kurumbadi Village Slope Section

Adarsh S. Chatra ¹, Sharanappagouda Kadabinakatti ^2,*, Amar Mohan Shinde ², Ramanandan S. ³, Sundarvel V. ^3
1 Department of Civil Engineering, Basaveshwar Engineering College, India
² Department of Civil Engineering, Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, 576104, India
³ Department of Civil Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, India

ABSTRACT

Slope failures and debris flow landslides are among the most significant natural hazards affecting the Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu, India. The present study focuses on the comprehensive investigation of a slope section in Kurumbadi village within this district, which has been subjected to rainwater infiltration. This research integrates field studies, laboratory experiments, and numerical modeling to assess the stability of the slope under extreme rainfall conditions. Specifically, a 13-day rainfall event from 3^rd to 15^th November 1993 is recorded as the highest total rainfall in the study area and serves as the basis for the stability analysis. The numerical modelling is performed using the Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua (FLAC) software, employing a coupled two-dimensional (2D) seepage analysis to simulate rainwater infiltration into the slope. The stability of the slope is further evaluated using the infinite slope method, which considers two distinct soil states: loose and medium-dense. The results of the analysis reveal that soil with medium density exhibits greater resistance to collapse compared to loose soil under identical rainfall intensity and duration. These findings underscore the critical influence of soil density on slope stability during prolonged rainfall events. The outcomes of this study provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of slope failure in the Nilgiris and highlight the importance of considering soil density in the assessment and mitigation of landslide risks in regions prone to heavy rainfall.

KEYWORDS
FLAC, Kurumbadi Village, Landslides, Rainfall, Slope Stability, The Nilgiris

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Adarsh S. Chatra , Sharanappagouda Kadabinakatti , Amar Mohan Shinde , Ramanandan S. , Sundarvel V. , "Coupled Hydro-Mechanical Assessment of Rainfall-Triggered Slope Instability in the Nilgiri Hills: Focus on Kurumbadi Village Slope Section," Civil Engineering and Architecture, Vol. 13, No. 2, pp. 1347 - 1359, 2025. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2025.130244.

(b). APA Format:
Adarsh S. Chatra , Sharanappagouda Kadabinakatti , Amar Mohan Shinde , Ramanandan S. , Sundarvel V. (2025). Coupled Hydro-Mechanical Assessment of Rainfall-Triggered Slope Instability in the Nilgiri Hills: Focus on Kurumbadi Village Slope Section. Civil Engineering and Architecture, 13(2), 1347 - 1359. DOI: 10.13189/cea.2025.130244.