Along the riverside, we have a low (3-4 ft) wall with a four foot wire netting. For the most part, it feels secure, though we are planning to raise the netting in a few places where it has been breached by nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus – Asian antelope; very common in these parts).
During the floods, this wall + netting of about eight feet is completely submerged in water. This has happened now for about four years. But the wall has stood, unlike some others on the side of the canal. There are a few cracks, but it seems quite stable. We inspected it a few weeks ago, discussing possible reasons, and suddenly I had an insight. Following the topography of the land, we had built a curvaceous wall, trying to include higher ground and curve in where there were dips. Later, looking at the resulting structure, we felt we had been self-indulgent, because, obviously, a straight wall would have saved on materials and labour, though this looks infinitely better. But curves are stable, right?
Doing some ‘research,’ I realized that our design is very possibly the reason for the wall’s stability. I discovered ‘crickle-crankle walls’ in England – a Dutch engineering invention – where walls were deliberately built in a wavy, sinusoidal manner in order to save on materials. So, although we seems to keep putting aesthetics over practicality, maybe we did something right this time!
It’s nearly impossible to walk near the wall right now because of the monsoon growth, but as soon as it is cleared, I will post some pictures of our very own crinkle-crankle wall!
gangavan.org 