Integrated Geoenvironmental and Geotechnical Risk Assessment of East Port Said Region, Egypt for Regional Development

The present paper discusses the use of integrated topographical, hydrogeological, and geotechnical data as a tool to assess the suitability of the East Port Said Region (EPR) for the establishment of new major projects. The method comprises geo-environmental and geotechnical characterization of the surficial soil layer and subsurface rock layers and identification of soil behavior along the proposed area. We analyze the digital elevation model to identify the topographic patterns across the project area. The geology of EPR comprises a normal to slightly consolidated fluvio-marine deltaic deposits of Pleistocene to Holocene age with more than 1000 m thick. We carry out a statistical analysis of geotechnical parameters to group the risky effective parameters for regional development. The study correlated the depth-averaged values of the design geotechnical parameters over the entire EPR. It also integrates the geotechnical properties with the topographical and hydrogeological parameters in the Geographic Information System (GIS) platform aiming to identify the spatial distribution and classes of the integrated risks across the EPR. For each geotechnical-environmental domain, it links the averaged values of geotechnical parameters to the groundwater levels and the topographic gradient that control groundwater flow. The methodological approach enters the hydrogeological model of EPR to the GIS environment and crossing with the results of the geotechnical analysis to identify zones of higher water saturation and possible geotechnical risk. The developed integrated geoenvironmental and geotechnical model assesses the prevailed hazards among the entire EPR. The integrated model uses to identify and delineate geotechnical hazards zones and to shape the spatial distribution of the geotechnical hazards classes, based on the dominant geotechnical and geo-environmental specifications. The achieved model shows that the risky zone spread widely along with the middle and southwestern sectors, while the marginal zones spread along with the southeastern and northwestern sectors. The study recommends applying the prefabricated vertical drains or deep mixing technique to stabilize the soft soil in the middle and northern risky zones of EPR. It also recommends the use of gravel drains and a well-compacted sub-base gravel layer for shallow foundations to enhance the properties of unstable clay formation at the southern risk and marginal zones of EPR.

Automated summary

This study discusses the use of integrated topographical, hydrogeological, and geotechnical data to assess the suitability of the East Port Said Region for new major projects. By analyzing the digital elevation model and carrying out statistical analysis of geotechnical parameters, the study identifies risky effective parameters for regional development and integrates geotechnical properties with topographical and hydrogeological parameters. The developed integrated geoenvironmental and geotechnical model assesses prevailing hazards and suggests specific geotechnical improvement techniques for different risk zones in the EPR.