Unit 1: Land

degradation
problems
Gandhiv Kafle
Lecturer, IOF, Hetauda

WME 508: Soil and water conservation

1 engineering - by Gandhiv Kafle
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Land & land degradation?

 Land:
 soil resource,
 water,
 vegetation,
 Wildlife,
 landscape, and
 microclimatic components of an ecosystem.
 Land degradation: temporary or permanent lowering
of the productive capacity of land
WME 508: Soil and water conservation engineering -
by Gandhiv Kafle
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Causes of land degradation

  Causes of land degradation are the agents that
determine the rate of degradation. 
  Biophysical (land use and land management, including
deforestation and tillage methods),
 Socioeconomic (e.g. land tenure, marketing,
institutional support, income), and
 Political (e.g. incentives, political stability)

WME 508: Soil and water conservation engineering -

by Gandhiv Kafle
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Process of land degradation

 Physical processes: decline in soil structure leading to
compaction, erosion, desertification, environmental
pollution, and unsustainable use of natural resources.
 Chemical processes: acidification, leaching,
salinization, decrease in cation retention capacity, and
fertility depletion.
 Biological processes: reduction in total and biomass
carbon, and decline in land biodiversity.

WME 508: Soil and water conservation engineering -

by Gandhiv Kafle
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 Land degradation is a major problem in all South

Asian countries.
 Degradation caused by water is perhaps the
greatest challenge facing South Asia, as many
areas have periods of high rainfall and steep
mountainous regions.
 The steep and fragile landscape & geology of
Nepal is susceptible to soil erosion and landslides.

WME 508: Soil and water conservation engineering -

by Gandhiv Kafle
 6

Estimates of the global extent (in million

km2) of land degradation (Oldeman,
1994)

WME 508: Soil and water conservation engineering -

by Gandhiv Kafle
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Impacts of land degradation

Onsite impacts Offsite impacts
 decline in land quality  sedimentation of
on site where reservoirs, dams,
degradation occurs decline in river water
(e.g. erosion) quality, air pollution
(carbon emission),
food scarcity and
malnutrition
WME 508: Soil and water conservation engineering -
by Gandhiv Kafle
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Water erosion
 Water erosion is the process of detaching the soil
particles from the land surface of one place and its
transportation to another place for deposition by
water.
 Water erosion involves three distinct processes: a.
Detachment, b. Transportation and c. Deposition

WME 508: Soil and water conservation engineering -

by Gandhiv Kafle
 Main forms of water erosion
 Splash erosion Transportatio
n
 Sheet erosion Deposition

 Rill erosion Detachment

 Gully erosion
 Streambank erosion

Rills: <1 foot depth

Small gullies: <3 feet depth
Medium gullies: 3-15 feet
depth
Large gullies: 15-30 feet depth
Ravines: >30 feet depth
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Water erosion prediction equation

 Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE; Wischmeier
& Smith 1978).
 E = R. K. L. S. C. P
 E is the mean annual soil loss (ton ha-1),
 R is the rainfall erosivity factor,
 K is the soil erodibility factor (ton ha-1),
 L is the slope length factor,
 S is the slope steepness factor,
 C is the crop management factor and
 P is the erosion-control practice factor.
WME 508: Soil and water conservation engineering -
by Gandhiv Kafle
Wind erosion
 Wind erosion is the erosion of soil by the action of
wind.
 It is caused by the transportation of soil particles
from one place to another through wind.
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Soil movement due to wind erosion

WME 508: Soil and water conservation engineering -

by Gandhiv Kafle
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Guess questions
 What is land degradation? Why is the land
degradation a serious problem?
 Define water erosion and its mechanism. Describe the
types of water erosion.
 Write a short note on water erosion prediction
equation.
 Define wind erosion. Indicate its types.
 Soil erosion is a serious problem for the farming
communities of Nepal. Justify it.
WME 508: Soil and water conservation engineering -
by Gandhiv Kafle