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Yibeltal M, Tsunekawa A, Haregeweyn N, Adgo E, Meshesha DT, Zegeye AD, Andualem TG, Oh SJ, Lee JC, Kang MW, Lee SS. Analyzing the contribution of gully erosion to land degradation in the upper Blue Nile basin, Ethiopia. Journal of Environmental Management 2023; 344:118378. [PMID: 37356332 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.118378] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/27/2023]
Abstract
Soil erosion has become a worldwide problem that threatens the environment and the future of economic and social development. The purpose of this study is to investigate the contribution of steep slopes and gullies to erosion in high precipitation tropical areas of the Ethiopian highlands. A trapezoidal weir was installed at the head and tail of the gully to monitor the discharge and sediment concentration from 2017 to 2020. Sediment yield and runoff are heavily influenced by the amount and timing of precipitation. The coefficients of variation for total sediment loads ranged from 65.1 to 96.1% at the head and 17.1-78.1% at the tail; the lowest coefficients were found in 2018 and the highest in 2020. Furthermore, 85% of the sediment at the tail comes from the gully, according to the four-year sediment budget. Further, a hysteretic analysis of suspended sediment concentration and runoff revealed that hilly sediment sources are limited (clockwise), then sediment can be transported through the gully via bank failures (counterclockwise). Study findings contributed to a classification of runoff patterns and an investigation of suspended sediment dynamics. In the gully tail, sediment yield was higher than in the head, suggesting gully sediment contributed more to sediment yield than large upland catchments. As a result of the study, we have been able to develop practical recommendations for managing gully erosion in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mesenbet Yibeltal
- Department of Environmental & Energy Engineering, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea; Faculty of Civil and Water Resource Engineering, Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia
| | - Atsushi Tsunekawa
- Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori, 680-0001, Japan
| | - Nigussie Haregeweyn
- Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, 1390 Hamasaka, Tottori, 680-0001, Japan
| | - Enyew Adgo
- College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia
| | | | | | - Tesfa Gebrie Andualem
- Department of Hydraulic and Water Resources Engineering, Debre Tabor University, Debre Tabor, Ethiopia; UniSA-STEM, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia
| | - Se Jin Oh
- Department of Environmental & Energy Engineering, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong Cheol Lee
- Department of Environmental & Energy Engineering, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea
| | - Min Woo Kang
- Department of Environmental & Energy Engineering, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang Soo Lee
- Department of Environmental & Energy Engineering, Yonsei University, Republic of Korea.
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Mhiret DA, Dagnew DC, Guzman CD, Alemie TC, Zegeye AD, Tebebu TY, Langendoen EJ, Zaitchik BF, Tilahun SA, Steenhuis TS. A nine-year study on the benefits and risks of soil and water conservation practices in the humid highlands of Ethiopia: The Debre Mawi watershed. J Environ Manage 2020; 270:110885. [PMID: 32721323 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2020] [Revised: 05/13/2020] [Accepted: 05/30/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
A nine-year (2010-2018) field study in the Debre Mawi watershed was conducted to understand the effect of governmentally-imposed and farmer-initiated conservation practices. The watershed is in the sub-humid Ethiopian Highlands which experience high and increasing erosion rates despite years of conservation efforts. Consequently, reservoirs are filling up with sediment and soil degradation is enhanced, calling for the evaluation of conservation practices currently in use. The few past long-term experimental studies on structural practices are inconclusive. In addition, only anecdotal information is available for streamflow and sediment loss. Precipitation, stream discharge, and suspended sediment concentrations were recorded manually in the Debre Mawi watershed during the nine-year period. Groundwater depth and total saturated area measurements were taken for selected periods. From 2012 to 2014, government-mandated conservation practices were constructed, which consisted of 50-cm-deep infiltration furrows with bunds downslope. These furrows were filled in with sediment by 2018. At the same time, the acreage of eucalyptus trees planted by farmers on the most vulnerable lands tripled to 5% of the total area with most trees fully grown in 2018. Runoff coefficients and sediment concentrations decreased steadily throughout the nine years. In the saturated bottomlands, the observations suggested that government-sponsored infiltration furrows in the saturated bottomlands were ineffective and may concentrate flows and enhance gully erosion, while eucalyptus trees appear effective. The results of this observational study point to both the potential benefits of conservation practices in this sub-humid tropical highland region and to emerging long-term risks. If structural conservation is to be pursued in watersheds like Debre Mawi, due attention must be given to the safe removal of excess water from the valley bottoms. The vegetative farmer-initiated practice of planting eucalyptus trees effectively reduced streamflow and erosion, but at the same time, might dry up wells during the dry monsoon phase which should be investigated further.
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Affiliation(s)
- Demesew A Mhiret
- Faculty of Civil and Water Resources Engineering, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 26, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia; Blue Nile Water Institute, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 79, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
| | - Dessalegn C Dagnew
- Blue Nile Water Institute, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 79, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia; Institute of Disaster Risk Management and Food Security Studies, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 5501, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
| | - Christian D Guzman
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, 01003, USA
| | | | - Assefa D Zegeye
- Amhara Region Agricultural Research Institute, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
| | - Tigist Y Tebebu
- Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, 14850, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Eddy J Langendoen
- United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, Oxford, MS, USA
| | - Benjamin F Zaitchik
- Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, 21218, USA
| | - Seifu A Tilahun
- Faculty of Civil and Water Resources Engineering, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 26, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
| | - Tammo S Steenhuis
- Faculty of Civil and Water Resources Engineering, Bahir Dar Institute of Technology, Bahir Dar University, P.O. Box 26, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia; Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University, 14850, Ithaca, NY, USA.
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D. Zegeye A, S. Steenhuis T, Mekuria W, C. Dagnaw D, B. Addisse M, A. Tilahun S, A. Kasse T. Effect of Gully Headcut Treatment on Sediment Load and Gully Expansion in the Sub Humid Ethiopian Highlands. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.13189/eer.2017.050208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
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