Maccaferri offers solutions to stabilise dumps created due to mining activities The Northern Coal Fields at Singrauli in India comprises a number of open cast mines which produces large quantities of waste through its mining activities every year. Continuous deposition of wastes results in the creation of large unstable dumps. The consern During monsoon, the unstable slope along the roads to the mines sub-sides, causes poor access to mines and thus affects the mining activities. The height of dump ranges from 30m -100 m with slope angles of about 400-600.The dump material comprises of loose earth and displaces a cohesion of about 20 kN per cu m and friction angle= of 380. Solution The slope was divided into fragments with berms in between. Gabion toe walls were placed at the toe of each slope fragment and multching (to promote vegetation) was carried out. A non woven geotex-tile was provided as filter and separator behind the Gabion walls. Additional French Drains at c/c spacing of about 3-5 m were proposed across the slope to ensure drainage and thus prevent erosion. The multching and natural jute blanket provided on slope prevented local erosion. Maccaferri´s solution was adopted for the following advantages: 1. Speed of construction: Large quantity of earthwork was involved and limited time was available for construction. It was necessary to carry out restoration work before the onset of monsoon to prevent the collapse of dumps. 2. Cost-effectiveness: The cost of Gabions structure was low . 3. Simplicity in construction: Execution of stabilization work using Gabion technology was simple . 4. Environmental friendliness: The solution not only proposed to stabilise dumps but also to establish vegetation along the slope. (Communication by the management of the company) Client name: Northern Coal Fields Corporation Consultant: MR Madhav, IIT Kanpur Product used: 2.5 lakh cu m of Gabions and 100,000 sq m of geo-textile construction info Commencement date: May 2000 Construction completed: March 2007