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Civil Engineering

Landfill leachate posing threat to the environment: Study

A new study at the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, has found that leachate from landfills is posing a major threat to the environment. Leachate is a contaminated liquid that drains through the bottom of the solid waste disposal facilities such as landfills. It contains numerous dissolved and suspended materials. These materials have a high value of Leachate Pollution Index (LPI) and pose a threat to the environment and human health.

Aditi Hastak

Developing algorithms for better water resource management

Scientists at IISc may have the solution to one of the major problems faced in our country – water resource management. By applying a technique called the 'Multi-criteria Decision Making' they are trying to address various water management and irrigation challenges.

Arati Halbe

Scientists study seismic response of Bengaluru’s Landfills

What if there is an earthquake in Bengaluru? While we may not be sure of the resultant damage, scientists at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore have found how a waste landfill may react to it. A group of scientists from the Department of Civil Engineering and Center for Sustainable Technologies have studied the response of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) landfills to seismic activities. This study is a first of its kind to be conducted on Indian soil.

Debadrita Paria

Bengaluru waste management: Getting the most out of landfills

A new study on municipal solid waste (MSW) generated by the city offers important pointers towards construction of safe and re-usable landfills. Calculations reveal that if scientific management of our landfills is adopted, the life of the landfills during filling need to be prolonged so that there is no pressure on space for landfilling and the whole process can be scientific.

Rajashree Nori

Global warming signals still unidentifiable in extreme rainfall over India

Of late, the extreme rainfall events have increased, but the present climate model simulations are not enough to conclusively attribute the trend to human induced climate change, a study has found. This is an important result because it shows that the country needs to fine tune its models to simulate hydroclimatic variables at the regional level. The study was conducted by the researchers from the Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.

Madhukara S Putty

Most of Sikkim vulnerable to earthquake-induced landslides

Hilly regions, especially ones which receive heavy rainfall and are located in earthquake-prone regions, are likely to suffer frequent landslides. Landslides occur when masses of earth or rock collapse from a mountain or cliff. They can pose a big threat to life and property. The Indian state of Sikkim is no exception. Situated in the Himalayan belt, the region faces frequent landslides. The recent earthquake in adjoining Nepal triggered many landslides in Sikkim. This motivated a recent study by Naveen James and Prof. T G Sitharam from Department of Civil Engineering, IISc, to assess the vulnerability of Sikkim to landslides, especially those induced by earthquakes.

Neesha Dutt

How much water should be released from a reservoir?

Reservoirs allow water to be stored, so that it can be used whenever needed. They are very important for the irrigation of cultivated lands. However, it is important to control the rate of water release from these reservoirs, so that the water usage can be optimized according to current requirements.

Adway Mitra

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