Description

The critical period of potential landslides on hillsides is just beginning. Unlike floods, which form immediately during a very large rainfall, landslides generally depend on a slightly slower process, where the determining factor is the level of saturation of the soil. The houses that fell apart last month, in Complexo do Alemão, did so primarily because of fragile construction, and not movement of the soil. When there is heavy rain for many hours or days, water infiltrates the soil at a higher velocity than it seeps out, generally due to percolation or evaporation. The mechanical resistance of soil greatly diminishes with saturation, and the possibility of rupture increases.

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