Climate Resilience Improvement Project (CRIP)

Climate Resilience Improvement Project (CRIP) is a joint effort of Government of Sri Lanka and World Bank with the hopes of reducing the adverse impacts of climate change in the country and adopting to the stock of infrastructure to extreme climate shocks. The Project as a whole is being executed by Ministry of Irrigation and Water Resources Management (MIWRM) with the financial assistance of International Development Association (IDA) – World Bank. A main component (ensuring the transport continuity – CRIP Road Project), and a subprogram (CRIP School Protection Program) of the Project is being implemented by National Building Research Organisation. The Project is executed in two phases.

CRIP Components Implemented by NBRO

• CRIP Transport Continuity Project

• School Protection Subprogram

• CRIP Provincial Road Project – Uva Province

CRIP Transport Continuity Project

Project Background 

The Road Development Authority (RDA) implements the Transport Continuity Project component of the CRIP Project, which includes the stabilization of landslides and slope failures observed along several selected roads. Therefore, National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) as the national focal point in landslide disaster management, was entrusted to (i) investigate the sites affected by landslides or slope failures along the selected roads, (ii) design structural measures to stabilize the investigated unstable sites, and (iii) to supervise the implementation of designed stabilization measures.

During the recent years the country has observed an increased trend of occurring landslides and according to the NBRO’s records, most of the recent landslides are associated with the slope cuts along the sides of the roads in hilly areas. Landslides at Paradeka along Kandy – Gampola road, Between culverts 50/2 – 50/50 along Thennekumbura - Ragala road, landslide at Moragahamula on Kandy - Mahiyangana road, landslide at Nuwaraeliya – Welimada road and the rock fall threat on Beragala - Wellawaya road among many. During the rainy seasons, the road users are frequently interrupted by the sudden road closures while facing a risk on their lives as well.  The interruptions to transportation often cause negative impacts on the livelihoods, health, education, and economy of the country.

NBRO’s 30 years’ experience in executing landslide disaster risk reduction measures and related studies has paved the way to undertake the investigations, designing and supervision of slope stabilization along the roads selected under the Transport Continuity project. NBRO is currently involved in investigating, designing and construction supervision of the landslides observed along the following roads:

• Landslides along the Kandy - Mahiyangana – Padiyathalawa road (A026)
• Landslide at Haggala along the Peradeniya - Badulla – Chenkaladi road (A005)
• Landslide at Ginigathhena along the Nuwara Eliya – Hatton road (A007)
• Landslide at Beragala (Mahagalagawa) along the Colombo – Ratnapura Wellawaya road (A004)
• Landslide at Beragala along the Colombo – Ratnapura Wellawaya road (A004)
• Landslide at Kithulgala along the Awissawella – Hatton Nuwara Eliya road (A007)
• Landslide at Kaluaggala along the Colombo – Ratnapura Wellawaya road (A004)

Landslide along Hanguranketha – Ragala road	Landslide along Kandy – Gampola road at Paradeka
Landslide  along Nuwaraeliya - Welimada road	Landslide  along Kandy – Mahiyangana road

A few of the roadside landslides occurred during the recent years

Current Progress

Landslides along the Kandy - Mahiyangana – Padiyathalawa road  

Landslides, rock failures and cut failures along the Kandy - Mahiyangana – Padiyathalawa road have been of a constant threat and source of headache to the road users over the past years. By considering the national interest and as per the request made by Road Development Authority (RDA), National Building Research Organization (NBRO) has investigated the affected areas and identified appropriate mitigation measures to minimize the associated risks.

One of the locations with high threat of rock fall before mitigation

Rock fall observed at one location between culverts 55/3 and 55/6

Slope failure observed another location between culverts 55/3 and 55/6

Altogether 18 locations were selected for rectification work along the Kandy – Mahiyangana -Padiyathalawa road. The mitigation works included soil nailing, retaining wall construction and drainage improvement. Mitigation work at 17 of these locations are completed while the construction work are still being carried out at Location 8. This project has successfully increased the safety of the road users as well as reducing the constant disruptions due to closure of different sections of the road due to cut slope failures and rock fall threats.  

Mitigated locations

Mitigation works in progress

Haggala Landslide

Tilted wall by the Nuwara Eliya - Badulla road in between culvert 75/6 and 75/7

Several landslides have taken place along the Budulla – Nuwara Eliya main road between Culverts 75/5 and 76/5. The location is in close proximity to the Haggala Botanical Garden. These locations are identified to have a very high possibility for further failures. Therefore, appropriate stabilizing measures are to be adopted at these locations to ensure that further progressive failure is prevented and safety margins of all existing slopes are enhanced to an acceptable level. 

Ginigathhena Landslide

Numbers of cutting failures have been occurring at the  no. 48/2, near Ginigathhena area at Avissawella-Hatton-Nuwara Eliya Road (A007), affecting the transportation activities. Further, a mass movement had occurred on 22^nd June 2014 followed by the excavation works at the toe of the soil slope in question. Further, it was reported that there was no rain at the time of failure, but it has been further activated with continuous heavy rain received later into the area. In order to prevent further failures and obstructions to one of the major transport routes in the country, this location was selected to be mitigated under the Project.

Just after the landslide on 2014

Unstable boulders on landslide body and tension crack and the scar at the top

School Protection Program

Project Background 

Since 1986, the government of Sri Lanka has undertaken various preparedness and mitigation measures to minimize the landslide disaster risk in the central highlands of Sri Lanka. Landslide hazard zonation mapping, regulation of landuse and development activities in hilly terrains, capacity building of stakeholder agencies, public awareness and education can be highlighted among such measures implemented and carried out by the Government through National Building Research Organisation (NBRO).

During the recent years of 2003, 2007, 2010 and 2011, several schools in the Central Province had been affected by landslides and slope failures causing trauma among the school communities as well as the concerned general public.  In the light of this situation, in February 2011, NBRO submitted to the government a proposal for mitigation of the most critical landslides in the hilly districts. The proposal also emphasized the need for mitigation of 30 locations where schools are affected by landslides including 18 schools in the Kandy district, 06 schools in the Matale district, and another 06 schools in the Nuwara Eliya district.

A number of those schools identified in NBRO’s year 2011 proposal were repeatedly affected by landslides during the rainy seasons in successive years also. Considering the landslide threat on the lives of thousands of young children, school staffs, parents, and related many others, there was an urgent need of mitigating the landslides located in the above mentioned school premises. Therefore, NBRO and the Ministry of Disaster Management separated out the issue on the landslide risk reduction in schools and submitted a new technical proposal in the year 2013. Considering the high cost involved, rectification of landslides in school premises was proposed to be carried out in a phased out approach, and under the technical proposal submitted, “Mitigation of Landslide Impact on Schools in the Kandy District” is addressed.

In October, 2013 NBRO was informed by the Government of the acceptance of NBRO’s proposal for Mitigation of Landslide Impact on Schools in the Kandy District for funding by the World Bank under the School Protection project of the Sri Lanka Comprehensive Climate Risk Mitigation Program.

The School Protection Program is a $7 million investment on 18 schools from Kandy district identified to be highly vulnerable to landslides threat (benefiting approx. 30,000 students). This project is expected to address the occasional interferences to the education these schools have to face annually during the rainy seasons.

No	Name of the school	District	Education Zone	Education Division
1	Dharmaraja College	KANDY	KANDY	GANGAWATA KORALE
2	Mahamaya Girls' College,	KANDY	KANDY	GANGAWATA KORALE
3	Hillwood College	KANDY	KANDY	GANGAWATA KORALE
4	Gothami Girls' College	KANDY	KANDY	GANGAWATA KORALE
5	Galkanda Kanishta Vidyalaya	KANDY	KATUGASTOTA	PUJAPITIYA
6	Sri Piyarathana Maha Vidyalaya (Ananda)	KANDY	KATUGASTOTA	HARISPATTUWA
7	Bothota Maha Vidyalaya	KANDY	KATUGASTOTA	HARISPATTUWA
8	Haloluwa Navodya Maha Vidyalaya	KANDY	KATUGASTOTA	HARISPATTUWA
9	Sirimalwatta Maha Vidyalaya	KANDY	WATTEGAMA	KUNDASALE
10	Kurukuthala Maha Vidyalaya	KANDY	DENUWARA	UDUNUWARA
11	Wattegama Central College	KANDY	WATTEGAMA	PATHADUMBARA
12	Molagoda Sri Piyadassi Vidyalaya	KANDY	KATUGASTOTA	PUJAPITIYA
13	Vidyartha Vidyalaya & Primary School	KANDY	KANDY	GANGAWATA KORALE
14	Gampola Buddhist College,	KANDY	GAMPOLA	UDAPALATHA
15	Jinaraja Girls' College	KANDY	GAMPOLA	UDAPALATHA
16	Gampola St. Joseph Girls' College	KANDY	GAMPOLA	UDAPALATHA
17	Kasawatta Muslim Vidyalaya,	KANDY	KATUGASTOTA	AKURANA
18	Rambuke-Ela Muslim Vidyalaya	KANDY	KATUGASTOTA	AKURANA

One of the affected slopes of Dharamaraja College	Subsided access road of Dharmaraja College
Catastrophic failure on February 05, 2011 at the upper school boundary of Hillwood college	Slope failure behind a school building in March 2011 at Galkanda Kanishta Vidyalaya
Damaged concrete wall behind a school building at Galkanda Vidyalaya	Tilted Random Rubble Masonry Gravity wall at Kurukuttala Maha Vidyalaya
Failed slope at the school upper boundary at Haloluwa Navodya Maha Vidyalaya	Unsafe cut slope at Kurukuttala Maha Vidyalaya

 

Cutting failures and unstable slopes at Wattegama Maha Vidyalaya

 

The stream running inside Jinaraja Balika Vidyalaya, which floods the school premise during rainy seasons

 

 Rectification measures and current progress

Structural measures including retaining walls, soil nailing and drainage improvement have been proposed and designed for the schools under the Project in order to minimize the landslide threat to the life and property of the school communities and to ensure continued functionality. The 18 schools falling under the CRIP School Subprogram have been packaged and tendered under national competitive bidding, and the details of the packages as of 30th April, 2017 are as follows. The total project work is expected to wrap up by 31st, January 2018 with the successful completion of structural mitigation measures at the 18 schools.

Slope rectified with retaining structures and turning at Dharmaraja College	Slope rectification using soil nailing at Dharmaraja College
Slope safeguarded using soil nailing and Hydroseeding technique at Mahamaya College	Slope rectified using soil nailing at Hillwood college
Retaining wall construction in progress at Bothota Kanishta Vidyalaya	Retaining wall construction in progress at Sirimalwatte Maha Vidyalaya
Unstable slope protected using retaining wall and safety fence at Galkanda Vidyalaya	Retaining wall construction in progress at Haloluwa Navodya Maha Vidyalaya