Safe, Low-Cost Foundations on Weak Soil – Without Blindly Using Piles
Custom-designed soil improvement and foundation solutions by an IIT-trained Geotechnical Engineer with 40+ years of professional experience.
ABOUT BISWAJIT GUHA
Senior Geotechnical & Foundation Engineer
M.Tech (Geotechnical Engineering), IIT Bombay – 1984
Mr. Biswajit Guha is a highly experienced geotechnical engineer with over four decades of practical work in:
- Soil improvement
- Foundation design
- Ground stabilisation
- Rectification of distressed or faulty foundations
He offers practical, economical, and scientifically designed solutions suited for weak soil conditions, including:
- Soft clay
- Filled-up low land
- Water-logged areas
- Riverside or erosion-prone locations
“My approach is simple – improve the soil first, then design the foundation. This saves cost, reduces future risks, and enhances long-term safety.”
His consultancy services are available across India, not limited to any single region.
THE PROBLEM – WEAK SOIL, HIGH RISK
Many sites across India, especially in eastern and river-basin regions, contain:
- Soft or marshy clay
- Filled-up or reclaimed land
- High groundwater
- Sloping or eroding river banks
Standard advice often includes:
- “Do piles”
- “Use heavy combined or raft foundations”
However, most conventional designs do not improve the soil itself. As a result:
- Weak soil remains stressed for the entire life of the building
- Future excavations, drainage changes, or groundwater lowering can destabilise structures
- Repair or rectification later becomes expensive and technically challenging
THE APPROACH – IMPROVE THE GROUND, THEN BUILD
Instead of treating weak soil as a permanent weakness,
Mr. Guha treats soil as a material that can be engineered and strengthened.
Depending on site conditions, he may use one or a combination of techniques such as:
- Soil stabilisation using lime or other additives
- Geosynthetics, geotextiles, and geogrids for reinforcement
- Engineered granular layers to spread and control load
- Injection grouting to fill voids and strengthen loose layers
- Ground improvement beneath existing foundations to correct settlement
- Slope stabilisation using economical, innovative arrangements
- Riverbank protection and river training works using non-conventional, low-cost methods
Each project is unique. There is no fixed thickness, no fixed method, and no “standard formula.”
Design is always based on:
- Actual soil investigation
- Geosynthetics, geotextiles, anStructural loadingd geogrids for reinforcement
- Site constraints
- Long-term risk assessment