View of CONTROL OF GULLY EROSION: EVALUATION OF INNOVATIVE METHODS

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Vol.05, Issue 01,January 2020 Available Online: www.ajeee.co.in/index.php/AJEEE

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CONTROL OF GULLY EROSION: EVALUATION OF INNOVATIVE METHODS

1Arun Kumar Khare, ²Sanjay Tignath, ²D.K.Deolia, ³Medha Jha

1Department of Civil Engineering, Global Engineering College, Jabalpur

2Department of Geology, Government Science College, Jabalpur

3Department of Civil Engineering, IIT (BHU), Varanasi

Abstract:- This paper deals with the problem of badlands and their productive development. The paper discusses a systems model and the associated engineering features. Gullies are extremely difficult to control once set upon a land. Gullies are formed as a result of localized surface runoff affecting the unconsolidated material resulting in the formation of perceptible channels causing undulated terrain. The process of Gully formation is mutual response of soils, i.e. their erodibilty, and available erosive energy of water. Gullies are the first stage of excessive land dissection followed by their networking which lead to the development of ravinous land. The word ravine is usually associated not with an isolated gully but anetwork of gulliesformed generally in deep alluvium and entering nearby river, flowing much lower than the surrounding table lands.

Gully/ravine erosion is the most spectacular and destructive type of soil erosion where gullies or ravines of varying magnitude are spreading vertically as well as horizontally and are eating away land and soil at a frightful rate resulting in the formation of a badland topography.

Keywords: Gullies, soil erosion, ravine.

1. INTRODUCTION

Gully erosion is the worst form of erosion in terms ofanthropocentric viewpoint that apart from snatching fertile lands is the main source of sediment load arriving at reservoirs. Diverse lines of concentrated flow of water are the most important causative functionaries of soil degradation and formation of wastelands (NRSA, 2005).The spread of gully is seen as a menace affecting many grazing spots, foot paths, cattle trafficking lines, roads, etc.

It also obstructs field operations and movement.Accelerated soil erosion holds strong links to excessive land degradation, socioeconomic problems and accelerated climate change. Studies on the effect of soil degradation on early civilizations have shown that soil erosion had been a major contributing factor behind the downfall or demise of flourishing empires.

2. STUDY AREA

Tewar (23.1430° N, 79.8465° E) is a settlement situated about 12 kilometers south of Jabalpur city. The intervening tract between Tewar and Bheraghat was a flat alluvial terrain. However, geomorphic processes, accentuated by anthropogenic interference, have turned this piece of land into a ravine-badland system.

Conversion of this land into a nonproductive, inaccessible wasteland has large environmental impact on the surface and subsurface hydrological

conditions and hence on the ecosystem as a whole. Ravineous channel systems (Badlands) owe their origin to gullying processes which gradually or rapidly grow in dimensions and network. (Campbell, I.A., 1989, Deshmukh et.al. 2010, 2011, Chaube et.al 2011).

2.1 Process of Soil Erosion and Gully Formation

Commonly speaking, soil erosion generally refers to detachment and transportation of soil and soil material from the place of origin by water, wind, ice or gravity and deposition to another place. (Gerits, J, Imeson, A.C., Verstraten, J.M, and Bryan, R.B., 1987)

Broadly, erosion can be classified in to two categories:

• Geological Erosion – natural erosion

• Accelerated Erosion – caused by mankind

Geological type of soil erosion is a natural phenomenon and happens without the intervention ofhuman being.

When the soil removal to that of soil formation is compared, it is not critical toconsider geological erosion as that of accelerated erosion.

Accelerated (manmade) soil erosion is defined as the rapid removal of soil brought about by theintervention of man in the process of earning livelihood along with providing grazing lands for

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2 live-stocks and settlement and development purposes. Once soil is bereft of its natural protective vegetation because of manifold human intervention, the soil is exposed directly to the abrasive action of the elements of erosion mainly wind and water of which erosion by water is a significant contributor for soil erosion and land degradation. As observed by Sharma (1980) and Ahmed (1968) serious gully and ravineerosion is taking place only in those localized zones which have been affected by faulting and crustal movements. Such a cause has the power of producing results that would beindifferent to all such factors as geology, climate, vegetation, land use pattern etc.

Gully erosion is the erosion process whereby water concentrates in narrow channels and over shortperiods removes the soil. Gully erosion produces channels larger than rills. As the volume of concentrated water increases and attains more velocity on slopes, it enlarges the rills into gullies. Gully can also originate from any depression such as cattle trails, footpaths, cart tracks, and traditional furrows and indicates neglect of land over long period of time.(Piest R.F., Bradford, J. M., and Wyatt. G.M., 1975a).

The following stages of surface gully development are generally recognized:

Stage 1: Formation stage: In this stage the rill erosion scour of the top soil in the direction ofgeneral slope as the runoff water concentrates. This stage normally proceeds slowly where the topsoil is fairly resistance to erosion.

Stage 2: Development stage: In this stage there occurs upstream movement of the gully head and enlargement of the gully in width and depth. The gully cuts to the C-horizon, and the parentmaterial is also removed rapidly as water flows.

Stage 3: Healing stage: In this stage, vegetation starts growing in the gully.

Stage 4: Stabilization stage: In this stage, gully reaches a stable gradient, gully walls attain a stableslope and sufficient vegetation cover develops over the gully surface to anchor the soil and permit development of new topsoil.

The Narmada river tracts of Jabalpur district, Madhya Pradesh shows badlands formation on the alluviums of the northern flank in a belt which is about 3km wide along the Narmada River and its tributary system. These lands are non-productive (useless for agriculture) and do not support natural vegetation in plenty in contrast to the very fact that the region immediately north of these badlands was once an excessive wetland with luxuriant vegetation which was later become agriculture land (Tignath et.al 2008).

Gully erosion is a self augmenting feedback system and it follows a complex equation of available erosive energy of flowing water depending upon the potential energy and kinetic energy of flowing water and erodibility characteristics of the soils/rocks. The development is therefore not haphazard but follows certain pattern and has a regularity of spatial and temporal distribution. The ravinous limit of gully development has dimensions of the many meters, more than 150m wide at places and 50m deep or even more, for instances Chambal ravines in north central India.

However, smaller channel system like the study area has average width of established channels so as of 40-80m and depth between 5m and 10m.Cross-section geometry depends on subsoil and varies from U-shaped in nonresistant to V- shaped in resistant and impermeable subsoil within the channels. There can be seen preference of angles in the bifurcating network.

3. SYSTEMS MODEL OF ECO- REGENERATION

Tignath, et.al. 2007 proposed a far more improved and complex model for ecological regeneration in the badlands applying systems approach.In the Systems Model, they propose a series of interdependent components for ecological development.

However, this model did not contain the description of possible engineering structures that would form the controlling system. The model is further supplemented here with the civil structures that would serve the purpose of making the model efficiently operative.

This model has following components which have been discussed

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3 here with engineering improvement and suggestions:

3.1 Trap component: It consists of check dams at the confluence of two first order Gullies. It would trap sediments and allow relatively clear water in second order segment. This trap component requires following protective structures.

Generally, gullies are formed due to high run off volume and peak run off rate. Therefore, reducing surface run-off volume and peak runoff rate through improved land use system is essential in gully control (Poesen, J., and G, Covers., 1990).In gully control; the following three methods must be applied in order of priority:

A. Brushwood check-dams:

Brushwood check-dams made of posts and brushes are placed across the gully. The main objective of brushwood check- dams is to hold fine material carried by flowing water in the gully.

B. Loose stone check-dam: Loose stone check-dam is a structure made of relatively small rocks and placed across the gully or small stream, which reduces the velocity of runoff and prevents the deepening and widening of the gully.

3.2 Aquaculture component: This segment would develop aquaculture which would make public participation.

This component need control from sides from the formation of rills and small scale gullies. Therefore it requires following low cost repairmen and checking of sediments from further developing gullies. Water, in this component, need to remain clear for economic usage of the section for aquaculture.

A. Gabion check-dam: Gabions are rectangular boxes of varying sizes and are mostly made of galvanized steel wire woven into mesh. The boxes are tied together with wire and then field with either stone or soil material and placed as building blocks.

B. Sandbag check-dam: Sandbag check-dams are made from used jut or polyethylene bags (50 kg) filled with soil. The bags are piled up to a maximum of 3 – 4 layers to

form a small check-dam. This cheap technique is particularly useful in areas with insufficient supply of stones for building ordinary check-dams. By erecting sandbag dams large rills or small gullies (finger gullies) can be controlled, while they are not suitable for the treatment of large gullies.(Majumdar, A.K., Bhattacharyya, SJL, Ghosh, S.K., Saha, S. C., and Goswami, K., 2000)

3.3 Artificial Recharge Component:

This is the third order segment of the channel system. This would have two operations, pumping of groundwater from below the channel base and other of check/stop dams to retain surface runoff to infiltrate into the groundwater ‘’low’’ to recharge the groundwater. This components requires following civil development. Retention and infiltration of surface water:

In addition to proper land- management practices, specific slope- treatment measures, such as retention and infiltration ditches, terraces, wattles, bundles and grass sods should be carried out above the gully area, and in the eroded area between the branch gullies, to reduce the rate and amount of surface run-off. These also decrease the cost of structural gully-control measures.

3.4 Corridor agriculture component:

The mounds and the riparian corridors would be developed in fruit gardens for public participation. This section requires following planning to properly utilize the lands for agriculture development.

A. Gully reshaping and filling: Gully wall reshaping is cutting off steep slopes of active gully flanks in to gentle slope (Minimum at 45%

slope), up to two-third of the total depth of the gully and constructing small trenches along contours for re-vegetating slanted part of the gully walls and beds.

Land management should be properly adopted for development of profitable agriculture:

• Adoption of conservation effective, improved soil, water and crop management practices in a ridge to valley

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4 approach for all catchment contributing to the gully.

• Protection of the soil by good canopy during rains,

• Prevention of forest fires and illegal wood cutting in plantations and natural forests,

• Prevention of grass fires,

• Applying control grazing, and re-vegetation of open grazing lands,

3.5 Pumping component: the pumping of groundwater from below the artificial recharge segment would facilitate two purposes 1. Lowering of the groundwater beneath the channel so as to create a space beneath the ground for trapping run-off water for groundwater recharge and 2.the pumped water would be used for supplying water to aquaculture component as well as riparian and mounds gardens.

This is an excellent model of ecological regeneration, economic productivity and sustainable public participation. This is based on systematic lowering of groundwater according to the Ganga Model (Chaturvedi 1985) and system approach. MedhaJha et.al (2013) suggested that the badlands areas may be developed as rehabilitation watershed as the country is set to develop industrialization and large population is displaced without giving heed to their actual rehabilitation.

3.6 Limitation: This is an attractive model of systems approach but it has certain limitations:

1. Pumping Unit has to systematically lower the water table in order to trap precipitation water. In the areas where precipitation is not regular or varies largely then this method cannot be applied, especial in arid zone.

2. It is suggested by this researcher that the model can be adopted for the Tewar area with certain recent improvements of recent technology of plantation and soil fixing.

4. FURTHER SUGGESTION FOR IMPROVEMENT OF THE SYSTEM MODEL

4.1 Use of Biosynthetic net

The riparian corridors and the mounds within the badlands may be quickly

‘healed’ with the use of biosynthetic nets spread over the slopes. Immediate cure to the susceptible slopes is gained as these nets hold plantation and the net is biodegradable with time when the plants are well rooted. This gives results nearly immediately as grown up plants may be planted. The soil moisture would improve quickly and biomass horizon would also develop at a faster rates.

4.2 Use of Fly Ash

Fly ash is now available in plenty as many thermal power stations have come in operation in India. The fly ash has been found to have fixing quality in the non- plastic soils. This can be used in a limited sense on the Trap component of the systems model. Although the pollution hazards due to use of fly ash should be properly anticipated.

4.3 Use of Water retaining Polymers Some polymers have been found to absorb and retain water. These polymers may be judiciously used with soils which gone non-fertile and have no moisture retention capability. Water absorbing polymers can be used to grow grass and other weeds in the first step of operation to have greenery over the unfertile soils.

This greenery would improve biomass and soil texture to develop moisture retention and vegetation holding capabilities.

4.4 Constructions of Water Resources Development Structures

The badlands lose groundwater rather at faster rates because the gullying leads to increase in the exposure length of groundwater and therefore water table quickly lowers in the badlands. It is important to make water resources development structure in the area to improve groundwater availability.

The systems model of Tignath et.al. 2007 may be further improved with these modern aids and as a result, the improvement is likely to come early and positive impacts on the economic gains of the local people involved in the regeneration model of ecology.

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Fig: Development of Productive Subunits in the Badland 1. Sediment Traps 2.

Aquaculture Unit 3. Recharging Unit 4. Corridor Gardens 5. Pumping Batteries.

5. CONCLUSION

The researcher suggest this model for application of small badlands areas and partly and systematically in the large badlands in advance stage.

This model has natural attraction for local people participation for its economic profitability

• It has ability to regenerate ecology of the area

• It develops water availability

• It can be used for rehabilitation of displaced population.

REFERENCES

1. Ahmad, E., 1973: Soil erosion in India, Asia Publishing House, Mumbai.

2. Campbell, IA., 1989: Badlands and badland gullies, in D.S.G. Thomas (ed.) Arid-Zone Geomorphology, 2nd edition, Chichester Wiley, pp.261-291.

3. Chaube,U.C., Deshmukh,D., Pandey, A. and Tignath,S. ‘GIS based morphological analysis of badland area-A case study of small watersheds in Narmada Basin’.J.

Institution Engineers (I) (Agril.

Engg.Div.) (2011).

4. Chaturvedi, M.C., Peter Rogers and Shyan-lai Kung, 1985: The coordinating model of the Gangs basin

5. Deshmukh D. S., U.C. Chaube, S. Tignath and S.M. Pingale(2011) ‘Geomorphological Analysis and Distribution of Badlands around the Confluence of Narmada and Sher Rivers, India, European Water, EWRA, 36:15-26

6. Dhananjay Suresh Deshmukh, Umesh Chandra Chaube, Sanjay Tignath, Sangharsh Kumar Tripathi(2010)

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8. Majumdar, A.K., Bhattacharyya, SJL, Ghosh, S.K., Saha, S. C., and Goswami, K., 2000: Case studies on field trial with non- woven natural geotextiles in reinforced vegetative bank protection, Presented in second European Geosynthetics Conference and Exhibition held at Bologna, Italy, during 15-18 November.

9. MedhaJha, Sanjay Tignath and Bharat Singh Rathore (2013) ‘Rehabilitation Watershed Development for Relocation of People’, Jour. Ind. Geol. Cong. Vol 5(2), 51- 59.

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“Drainage Characteristics of Pariyat watershed, Jabalpur, India, Hydrology Journal,IAH, vol. 32.

11. NRSA., 2005: Wastelands Atlas of India, Ministry of Rural Development Govt of India, New Delhi-110011 & National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA), Hyderabad.

12. Piest R.F., Bradford, J. M., and Wyatt.

G.M., 1975a: Soil erosion and sediment transport from gullies. ASCE Hydraulic Division, vol.101 (Hyl), pp.65-80.

13. Poesen, J., and G, Covers, 1990: Gully erosion in the loam belt of Belgium:typology and control measures. In J.Boardman, LD.L.Fbster and J.A.Dearing

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(eds.). Soil Erosion on Agriculural Land, Jhon Wiley and Sons, Chicheser, England, pp.513 -531.

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