Watery site: test

COIMBATORE: A soil investigation done by experts from the Government College of Technology (GCT) in Coimbatore, at the Ukkadam site for construction of TNSCB apartments 4 years ago had indicated the soggy nature of the soil.“The entire area was water logged at varying depth from 0.75 metres, due to the disposal of treated sewage,” the report based on the soil tests conducted for a Coimbatore-based infrastructure firm (which was presumably a consultant for the project), said.  The report also recommended that the organic soil may be replaced with a good one, “as it is not advisable to rest any building component such as flooring or pipe lines.”The GCT’s Geo Technical Engineering Division  conducted soil tests in March 2007 by digging up ten trial pits covering the entire area of the site.The report, a copy of which was obtained by Rafeek under the RTI Act, said the general soil profile consists of organic soil at top for a thickness of about 0.70 m followed by clay. “The thickness of clay ranges from 0.5 m to 1.20 m. Below clay, soft disintegrated rock (SDR)/kankar exists and it appears to continue for considerable depth.”On examination of the trial pits, it was decided to conduct standard penetration tests - one on soft disintegrated rock and another on kankar.The report recommended that the minimum depth of foundation may be taken as 2.40 meters from the existing ground level, so as to rest the foundation of SDR/kankar.