Palaeo-geographical conditions control the sedimentological and hydrological heterogeneity within the upper aquitard and late Pleistocene aquifers beneath Kolkata. Such complexity at Bowbazar was unmapped prior to the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) of East-West metro project which hit the local aquifer at 14 m depth. This led to development of cracks in tens of buildings due to land subsidence; few of which collapsed immediately, and some stood in such a precarious position to be eventually razed. Mass evacuation was undertaken from the area. This paper assesses the local hydrogeological conditions and hydrostatic pressure of the aquitard-aquifer system that caused the disastrous land subsidence.

You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.