Gabion Structures Being Built to Limit Land/Rockslides, Says ASR Collector
Gabion structures are typically galvanised steel wire mesh cages, cubes or cylinders filled with solid materials like rock or concrete.
Visakhapatnam: ASR district administration has restored and reopened all ghat roads to traffic after they got damaged due to rockslides and mudslides in the wake of continuous heavy rains following Cyclone Montha.
“Now, we will develop Gabion structures at strategic locations to limit landslides and rockslides, whether during the monsoons or cyclones,” collector A.S. Dinesh Kumar told this correspondent on Friday.
Gabion structures are typically galvanised steel wire mesh cages, cubes or cylinders filled with solid materials like rock or concrete. They are used in civil engineering and landscaping for retaining walls, erosion control and slope stabilisation. The structures are a cost-effective, flexible alternative for traditional concrete or brick structures.
The collector said nine locations in Anantagiri, Araku Valley, Hukumpeta, G. Madugula and G.K. Veedhi are vulnerable to rock falls and mudslides. Teams of engineers from the Roads and Buildings department will take up a survey before the Gabion structures are put in place.
“Gabion structures may not protect the roads from huge boulders. But they can prevent smaller stones and mudslides,” Dinesh Kumar underlined.
Gabions and road repairs will be a regular feature, as the traffic has increased on the ghat roads after tourist spots in ASR district have become hugely popular even at the national level.
Replying to a question, the collector said all relief camps have been closed as people have returned to their respective homes.
