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BETWEEN THE RAIN AND EROSION |
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The rain is at its peak now in Nigeria and it's not without its usual consequences.
Normally,with the rain,we are sure of enough water for washings,cooking and sometimes drinking. It also ensures adequate water for germination or growing of the newly planted crops. But on the other side,some who dislike the raining season here do so because it helps make most places dirty especially places that doesn't have good,accessible roads and drainages. It also inevitably causes erosion in this places,and it's the erosion that's my concern in this article. In Offiana street Ifite-Awka,the rain has had a devastating effect. Not only does it wash away soil from one area and heap it on another, it has placed the roads in a position that endangers cars that pass through it. How did it happen? This has been a recurring situation over the years in that area as the lack of good roads there left the entire channelling of flood route in the hands of residents of the area who are now more reactive than proactive to the challenges being posed by flood in that area. When it rains,the water flows from the dorsal end of the street down to the entrance and owing to the topography of the area,it easily washes away the soil surface from one portion of the road,leaving that area empty,while heaping it on another area which over time becomes supersaturated with sand that it makes the passage of cars and people difficult. It is here,where the sand is heaped, that some local sand excavators come with their tippers to take one or two trips of sand to a developer who must have already paid for the services. The tipper drivers don't normally engage in such practices as they have special areas dedicated to sand excavation where they pay a fee for each trip of sand they load but what attracts them to this unusual area is that they don't pay fees and their removing of the sand seems to be a favour for residents of that area to allow easy passage. The residents only rise against them when they take the sand unprofessionally(which they hardly do) such that it may result to another erosion site. But then, the erosion that is gradually creeping in owes much to the wrong channelling of flood water in the area. It even pulled down parts of a dwarf fence. Of course there is no drainage in the street(as it is a new development site) but that doesn't stop the situation from being better handled. The big challenge now is how to channel the flood water well to avoid damaging the topography of the area or causing more erosion. So far,residents of the area have resorted to making use of empty bags of cement which they fill-up with sand and then place them at strategic positions to help check the flood. This is how it works when the sand-filled cement bags are placed at those strategic points, it helps check erosion by waging the sand washed away by the flood water in another location such that after the rain,it would have held enough sand that will restore the topography of the area and divert the flood to another location. This has been working for them,though it requires periodic checks, but it's their local solution to such challenges. It's not just their own solution to such problems,it's a general local solution to such challenges in Nigeria when the government has not taken notice. But it's not been entirely fruitful as it will always cause some obstructions on the way. Nonetheless, I feel there can be a better solution to this challenge which is to try and find a way to channel the flood water properly even though the topography of the area may make it difficult. I am already in touch with the people concerned and I am looking to joining their next general meeting or discussing privately with the leader of residents of the area who I have been able to identify. I am so glad that I can be part of the solution to the challenge of this area.
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9 Comments
@Rohan and @Kapri thanks for your kind comments. They are very important.
Posted 30-09-2014 03:30
@Tsheko thanks a lot for your revealing comments, they are very invaluable for me.Thanks again.
Posted 30-09-2014 03:27
@Christy and @Arushi the flood is a real big issue here because of poor drainages and lack of it.
Posted 30-09-2014 03:25
To be a part of solution is always better Udeh.
The problem exists & it is really a grim situation. Local population is doing their bit by small measures but the problem will be removed by making canals.
Pls keep us posted of the developments.
Thanks for the report.
Posted 28-09-2014 20:32
Rain Splash erosion results from the bombardment of soil surfaces by rain drops, which act much like little bombs when they fall on exposed or bare soil. They detach soil particles and destroy soil structure. In case of Nigeria, pictures saying everything.
Posted 27-09-2014 04:46
@Keoleboge, Wow, thank you for the amazing additional info :)
Posted 25-09-2014 16:05
Thanks , Udeh , for sharing the unfortunate situation in Nigeria. Pictures are saying everything. Residents are doing their bit by placing sand bags though much more concerted efforts are needed from authorities , municipalities to manage and prevent such damage.
Posted 24-09-2014 16:16
Well thats quite a malecious damage which also calls for restoration at the drop of a hat. As a Soil and water conservation post graduate i would advocate for mechanical erosion control structures such as terraces,diversion ditches,spillways and flumes. All these structures can be combined to provide a reinforced erosion control feature. For example- Soil erosion is a two phase process consisting of:
-Detachment of individual particles from the soil mass and
-Transport of detached particles by erosive agents such as running water and wind
Now to stop this phenomenon we need to sort out the matter right from point of origin i.e. (right from the top of the slope) . Start with steppes (terraces from the top of the slope to its last point or where erosion starts to form gullies). Then construct some diversion ditches to divert or get rid of excess water usually to a storage facility such as wadi flows. Remember the water can be harnessed in later drier seasons of the year.Flumes are artificial channels that control the flow of water down a slope and release it into an area where its impact is reduced.They are often placed at the head of gullies to prevent the backward erosion of the headwall by water flowing over the top.Terraces or meskats are engineered on the slopes, irrigated by channels that catch slope runoff.When rainfall is too abundant or too intense to be stored or totally absorbed by the soil, it has to be drained via diversion ditches, bunds or terraces in order to trap the sheet runoff before it gathers enough energy to gully the slope. Runoff is then evacuated from the cultivated area toward natural or manmade spillways to allow it to reach the low water point without causing too much damage. Erosion depends on:
- rainfall energy (constant all down the slops)
- runoff energy (which increases with slope
Spillways should be grassed and populated with trees to reduce runoff since they cannot cannot reduce rainfall energy or soil degradation. That being said though mechanical erosion control structures need expert skills and survey to keep them well maintained and effectively run. If used well these structure can be used to store moisture for quite a while. For further reading http://www.fao.org/docrep/T1765E/t1765e0n.htm
Posted 23-09-2014 17:34
Thank you for the vivid update about the situation in Nigeria. Thanks to you, now I know that flooding became a frequent issue there and properly managing drainage system is urgently needed. You told me the schools were closed due to the severe rain and now I can clearly understand the why by seeing the picture of destroyed roads.
Posted 23-09-2014 14:08