ABSTRACT
Jharkhand as the name suggests means ‘Land of Forests’. It is a landlocked territory that shares its borders with Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in the west, Bihar in the north, Odisha in the south and West Bengal in the east. Jharkhand is generously blessed with huge mineral wealth, which provides a solid launching pad for the establishment of all kinds of industries. Jharkhand mostly lies on the Chota Nagpur Plateau and houses several hills and mountain ranges. The chapter broadly discusses the major soils and rocks present in the state of Jharkhand. As an aid, borehole data from selected areas of Jharkhand have been discussed to have a detailed idea about the properties of soil/rock and the existing water table. Also, the use of locally available soils and rocks for various construction activities accompanied by suitable ground improvement techniques has been discussed. One case study involving the use of fly ash and waste recycled products in the construction of an ash pond is presented. Lastly, the effect of geoenvironmental changes on existing soils and rocks accompanied by innovative measures involving solid waste management for its revival is reported.
