Chamundi Hill retaining wall construction: Rains slow down work

Mysore/Mysuru: Incessant rains caused by Cyclone Mandous have slowed down the construction of the retaining wall to restore the portions of the Nandi Statue Road atop Chamundi Hill that witnessed a series  of landslides.

The State Government has released Rs. 9.75 crore for the works and the actual restoration works began in the first week of August this year as the rains  gave a break.

“We have been facing adverse weather and now the rains have intensified with the cyclone effect. The mud at the bottom of the land-slid portion has been excavated and the civil works are pending,” PWD Executive Engineer Raju told Star of Mysore this morning.

The earthworks have been completed and trenches have been dug to remove the mud to lay the concrete. “Extensive damage has been caused between the View Point and Nandi Statue and the damages extend up to 400 metres. While removing the mud, earth movers have excavated huge boulders. All the materials required for the civil works like cement and iron have been procured and have been stored at the site. We are going slow now due to the rain,” he added.

The retaining wall is being constructed based on the suggestions of scientists from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc.), Bengaluru, who have submitted a detailed report on the landslides after soil testing and other studies and how to construct the retaining wall using Geo Trail Technology to prevent future landslides, PWD Executive Engineer Raju said.

“After the earthworks began, the IISc. team visited the work site and expressed satisfaction over the work and incorporated their ideas. The next step will be to construct a concrete wall that will prevent landslides. Works will go on for two more months as we have to factor in the time lost due to incessant rains,” he added.

The road has been closed for traffic while the other roads leading up the Hill are open. “The retaining wall works including curing have to be completed and the trial runs have to be done before the road is finally opened to motorists,” Raju added.

A portion of Chamundi Hill — between View Point and Nandi Statue — collapsed thrice. While the first landslide occurred on Oct. 20, 2021 near the spot where a massive slip had occurred in 2019. On Oct. 31, 80 percent of the road shrunk in the second slide. One more landslide occurred on Nov. 4, just 10 mts. away from the Oct. 20 landslide area.