The failure mode for levees includes: excessive settlement, foundation failure, seepage due to cracking or piping and surface erosion. Cracks in levees induce excessive seepage rates across the section which results in failure of the levee during flooding periods. The current analysis for cracks or suction prediction is done using climatic variation for a given region. The climatic variation as an input makes the suction evaluation generalized and erases the local effect of soil conditions and overestimates the suction values. It estimates the suction in the absence of a water table. When a water table is present within 10 m of the surface, it becomes necessary to have the local reading of moisture content close to the site for predicting the suction values which are unique to the specific site conditions. In this research, a two phase approach is taken. First the Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) is used to measure the overall moisture variation along the levee to locate the possible crack zones. This will help in predicting cracks induced by the site specific suction values. After the critical sites have been identified they will be instrumented using moisture content sensor, tensiometers and tilt meter as a long term monitoring systems. This method will result in accurate estimation of impeding failure. This approach will also help in early warning systems by giving a realistic estimate of the health of the levee. The current work will help in reducing cost of inspection and maintenance, and will help to save valuable lives and resources.
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