As compared to the mountains in places like Norway and Australia, the Himalayan ranges are quite fragile. Constituted mainly of mud and soft rocks, the majority of the region is sensitive to landslides. The unplanned construction going on unabated in the Himalayan region is aggravating the problem say the soil engineers. Without appropriate drainage system the colonies are being developed in the mountain state. No one seems to be concerned about where the waste water from domestic sources should be drained resulting in seepage of the water in the slopes which make them vulnerable to landslides. In the year 2009, team of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee scientists headed by Satyendra Mittal took over the task as an experimental technique to treat the landslide prone areas in Mussoorie, Dakra area of Dehradun and Hanumangarhi region of Nainital.
The soil nailing technique used by the team was quite successful in the region. Nailing was done after occurrence of major landslide in the year 2006.
About 450 metre length of hill slope was successfully stabilised by soil nailing technique.
In this process, soil nails are usually grouted to increase the bond and to enhance corrosion protection.
The nails used in soil nailing retaining structures, are generally steel bars or other metallic elements that can resist tensile stresses and bending movements. Four inch sized holes are made in the affected area. The depth of these holes is nearly 70 percent of the affected area which means if the treatment area is of 10 metres height, the hole dug is seven metres deep. After making holes these are filled with cement and concrete. A net is laid on top of these steel bars and tightened with plate net.
Soil nailing is an emerging technology for reinforcing the soil with steel bars or other materials.