Bank material characteristics and its impact on river bank erosion, West Tripura district, Tripura, North-East India

Abstract

In West Tripura district, river bank erosion becomes very common during monsoons along the Haora River and the Sonai Gang. Erosion occurs across 45.39 km (96% of the total length) of the Haora River and 20.12 km (90% of the total length) along the Sonai Gang. The main cause of river bank erosion in the district is the nature of bank material with respect to its erodibility factor (resisting force). The objectives of this study were to identify the nature of bank material of the rivers in West Tripura district and to analyse the shear strength of these materials. Samples were collected from twelve sites at various depths from top of the river bank up to the water level. Hydrometer test and grain size were also analysed. Uniformity coefficient (Cu) and coefficient of curvature (Cc) were calculated to identify the shear strength of bank soil. Tests revealed that the bank soils contain more than 90% sand and less percentage of silt and clay. This makes the soil non-cohesive and leads to maximum erosion.