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Central Railway turns to vetiver grass to stabilise ghat slopes and curb soil erosion

Central Railway is piloting vetiver grass plantations across 5,300 square metres of the South-East Ghat section to stabilise slopes prone to erosion and landslips during heavy rains. Officials say the deep-rooted grass, used alongside conventional measures, could reduce boulder falls and support safer train operations in the monsoon.

By Tertius News AI Desk 2 distinct · 2 mastheads · 2 articles Version 1 Coverage Aug 31 – Sep 1, 2026 Published 1h ago

Central Railway turns to vetiver grass to stabilise ghat slopes

Central Railway is exploring the large-scale use of vetiver grass, scientifically known asChrysopogon zizanioides, as a natural method to stabilise slopes and embankments in the ghat sections between Mumbai and Pune. Railway officials identified the Bhor Ghat between Karjat and Lonavla and the Thal Ghat between Kasara and Igatpuri as prone to soil erosion, surface runoff, boulder falls and shallow landslides during heavy rains, incidents that can threaten railway infrastructure and train operations.

The initiative involves planting vetiver, a grass known for its dense and predominantly vertical root system, along cutting slopes and embankments. According to Central Railway officials, the roots can grow 3 to 4 metres deep within 12 to 24 months, creating a fibrous network that binds the soil and reinforces slopes. Hemant Kumar Behera, Pune railway division spokesperson, said this can increase soil resistance by approximately 30 to 40 per cent.

Pilot plantations underway

Pilot plantation work has already been carried out over 5,300 square metres in the South-East Ghat section. Of this, vetiver has been planted over 1,050 square metres along the UP line side between Khandala and Monkey Hill at Km 122/0-122/15. Another plantation covering 4,250 square metres has been undertaken along the MID line side between Thakurwadi Cabin and Palasdhari at Km 106/600-700.

Central Railway Chief Public Relations Officer Swapnil Nila said pilot plantations for embankment protection had already been undertaken in the South-East Ghat section, with areas ranging from 1,050 square metres in the Khandala–Monkey Hill section to 4,250 square metres in the Thakurwadi Cabin–Palasdhari section.

How vetiver works

Vetiver, recognised as a high-performance bioengineering plant under the globally recognised Vetiver System, is effective in stabilising soil, reducing surface runoff, trapping eroded sediment and restoring slopes. For railway applications in the ghats, vetiver hedges are being planted in contour lines on cutting slopes and embankments, Mr. Nila said. The deep root system holds the soil in place, while the dense above-ground foliage acts as a porous barrier to slow down surface runoff, prevent gully formation, increase water infiltration and trap silt. Over time, trapped sediment helps in the formation of natural terraces, further stabilising the slopes, according to officials.

Expected benefits

Central Railway expects the nature-based solution to reduce soil erosion and slope instability and minimise incidents of boulders and debris falling onto railway tracks. It could also support safer and more punctual train operations during the monsoon while reducing maintenance requirements and costs associated with conventional slope-protection works.

The railway said the vetiver-based approach would be used alongside conventional engineering measures, rather than as a replacement for them. The initiative is significant for ecologically sensitive ghat stretches, where maintaining slope stability during intense monsoon rainfall remains a major challenge.

How each outlet told it

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Hindustan Times

Framing: Highlights the use of vetiver grass as a protective measure for ghat slopes on the Pune-Mumbai railway route. — Informative and solution-oriented

as of Sep 1, 2026, 4:47 AM UTC

Facts Included:

The Bhor Ghat between Karjat and Lonavla and the Thal Ghat between Kasara and Igatpuri are prone to soil erosion, surface runoff, boulder falls, and shallow landslides during heavy rains.
Central Railway is exploring the large-scale use of vetiver grass, scientifically known as Chrysopogon zizanioides, as a natural method of stabilising slopes and embankments.
Pilot plantation work has already been carried out over 5,300 square metres in the South-East Ghat section.
Vetiver has been planted over 1,050 square metres along the UP line side between Khandala and Monkey Hill at Km 122/0-122/15.
Another plantation covering 4,250 square metres has been undertaken along the MID line side between Thakurwadi Cabin and Palasdhari at Km 106/600-700.
Vetiver roots can grow to a depth of around 3 to 4 metres within 12 to 24 months, creating a strong fibrous network that binds the soil and reinforces slopes.
This can increase soil resistance by approximately 30 to 40 per cent, according to Hemant Kumar Behera, Pune railway division spokesperson.
Central Railway expects the nature-based solution to reduce soil erosion and slope instability and minimise incidents of boulders and debris falling onto railway tracks.
The railway said the vetiver-based approach would be used alongside conventional engineering measures, rather than as a replacement for them.

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The Hindu — World

Framing: Central Railway's plan to use vetiver grass plantation for soil erosion control in ghat sections — informative and neutral

as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC

Facts Included:

Central Railway is planning vetiver grass plantation to avoid soil erosion and landslips in ghat sections
Ghat sections (Bhor Ghat, Thal Ghat) are vulnerable to soil erosion, surface runoff, boulder falling, and shallow landslips during monsoon
Vetiver grass is being explored as a natural slope stabilisation measure
Vetiver is effective in stabilising soil, reducing surface runoff, trapping eroded sediment, and restoring slopes
Vetiver develops deep root system growing to 3 to 4 metres within 12 to 24 months
Root network increases soil shear resistance by approximately 30 to 40%
Pilot plantations were undertaken for embankment protection in South-East Ghat section (Khandala–Monkey Hill) in up to 1,050 square meters
Thakurwadi Cabin – Palasdhari section had plantation area of 4,250 square meters
Vetiver hedges were planted in contour lines on cutting slopes and embankments
Dense foliage acts as a porous barrier to slow down surface runoff, prevent gully formation, increase water infiltration, and trap silt
Trapped sediment helps in formation of natural terraces, further stabilising slopes
Nature-based solution will help in preventing soil erosion and slope instability, reducing boulder and debris falling on tracks, ensuring safe and punctual train operations, and minimising maintenance cost

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What was claimed, and who backed it

AI-extracted; can misattribute a claim — see Methodology.

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status is Contested when two claims on this page negate each other; otherwise it counts the distinct outlets we found asserting that specific claim — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimThe Central Railway is planning vetiver grass plantation to avoid soil erosion and landslips in the ghat sections during heavy rains.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets · 2 distinct) via The Hindu — World as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC, Hindustan Times as of Sep 1, 2026, 4:47 AM UTC
ClaimThe Bhor Ghat between Karjat and Lonavla and the Thal Ghat between Kasara and Igatpuri are prone to soil erosion, surface runoff, boulder falls, and shallow landslips during heavy rains.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets · 2 distinct) via The Hindu — World as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC, Hindustan Times as of Sep 1, 2026, 4:47 AM UTC
ClaimCentral Railway is exploring the use of vetiver grass, scientifically known as Chrysopogon zizanioides, as a natural slope stabilisation measure in ghat sections.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via The Hindu — World as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC
ClaimPilot vetiver plantations have been undertaken in the South-East Ghat section, with 1,050 square meters planted between Khandala and Monkey Hill on the UP line and 4,250 square meters between Thakurwadi Cabin and Palasdhari on the MID line, totaling 5,300 square meters.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets · 2 distinct) via Hindustan Times as of Sep 1, 2026, 4:47 AM UTC, The Hindu — World as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC
ClaimVetiver roots can grow to a depth of 3 to 4 metres within 12 to 24 months, creating a dense root network that binds soil and reinforces slopes.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets · 2 distinct) via The Hindu — World as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC, Hindustan Times as of Sep 1, 2026, 4:47 AM UTC
ClaimThe vetiver root system increases soil shear resistance by approximately 30 to 40 percent.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets · 2 distinct) via The Hindu — World as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC, Hindustan Times as of Sep 1, 2026, 4:47 AM UTC
ClaimPilot plantations have been carried out over 5,300 square metres in the South-East Ghat section.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Hindustan Times as of Sep 1, 2026, 4:47 AM UTC
ClaimVetiver grass has been planted over 1,050 square metres in the Khandala–Monkey Hill section on the UP line at Km 122/0-122/15.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Hindustan Times as of Sep 1, 2026, 4:47 AM UTC
ClaimAnother plantation covering 4,250 square metres has been undertaken along the MID line side between Thakurwadi Cabin and Palasdhari at Km 106/600-700.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Hindustan Times as of Sep 1, 2026, 4:47 AM UTC
ClaimVetiver roots can increase soil shear resistance by approximately 30 to 40 per cent.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets · 2 distinct) via The Hindu — World as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC, Hindustan Times as of Sep 1, 2026, 4:47 AM UTC
ClaimVetiver hedges planted in contour lines slow down surface runoff, prevent gully formation, increase water infiltration, and trap silt, helping restore slope stability.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusSingle-source via The Hindu — World as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC
ClaimThe Central Railway expects the vetiver planting to reduce soil erosion and slope instability, minimize boulders and debris falling onto tracks, and ensure safer and more punctual train operations during the monsoon while reducing maintenance costs.	ConfidenceMedium	StatusMulti-source (2 outlets · 2 distinct) via The Hindu — World as of Aug 31, 2026, 5:45 PM UTC, Hindustan Times as of Sep 1, 2026, 4:47 AM UTC
ClaimThe vetiver-based approach will be used alongside conventional engineering measures.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via Hindustan Times as of Sep 1, 2026, 4:47 AM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

2 distinct · 2 mastheads · 2 articles consulted: Hindustan Times, The Hindu — World 13 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-09-01