Biological and Engineering Measures to Control Erosion

In very simple words, soil erosion can be described as agriculture’s enemy. Soil erosion refers to the process in which the layers of soil, especially the top layers can get eroded due to wind and water. As we all know, the soil is a natural resource and a very important one for that matter. Thus, soil erosion is a threat to nature and can turn out to be excessively harmful. 

Impact of soil erosion

Soil erosion can be very dangerous for the environment as well as the economy. Because of increased soil erosion, the chances of flooding can increase. For example, in Jakarta’s floods, it was found that eroded sediments from streams clogged the river and canals leading to an overflow. 

Apart from this, it can also be observed that because of soil erosion, the fertility of soil can decrease, which can further lead to a decrease in crop yields and enhancement in water usage. Because of this reason, the economy can also suffer a great loss somehow caused due to soil erosion. 

Prevention of Soil Erosion 

Up until now, it has become crystal clear that soil erosion is a threat that needs to be worked upon. Thus, some preventative measures need to be taken to protect the environment and restore a balance. There are a lot of preventative measures that can help in protecting the soil from erosion. These measures can be easily categorised into two categories, biological measures and engineering measures. Let’s focus on each category in detail. 

Engineering Measures to Control Erosion

With the advancement in science and technology, diverse engineering measures have been introduced to control soil erosion. 

1. Bunding – It is an engineering measure used for controlling soil erosion wherein bunds are known as embankments that are constructed across the land. Through bunding, the area is divided into many smaller parts such that the slope length gets reduced. This leads to a reduction in soil erosion along with retaining the runoff water in the surrounding area of the bund. 
2. Contour Trenching – It is one technique used for soil conservation to intercept the runoff. Here, several trenches are excavated along the contour in a uniform level across the land slope at the top portion of the field. The contour trench serves the purpose of breaking the runoff velocity and intercepting the runoff. 
3. Terracing – Terracing is also an engineering method that helps in reducing soil erosion in sloped areas. It includes the construction of embankments and steps of structure to check the flow of surface runoff and limit the loss of soil. 
4. Grassed Waterways – These refer to the ways to drain or divert the runoff from the catchment. The area was also constructed along the slope of the area. 

Thus, these are four engineering measures for controlling soil erosion. 

Biological measures for controlling soil erosion

Just like there are engineering measures for controlling soil erosion, biological measures can also be found for preventing soil from eroding. A few of these biological measures are listed here:

1. Strip Cropping – This involves growing diverse crops in alternate strips across the slope such that they can act as vegetative barriers to erosion. Strip cropping can be further of four different types. These include:

• Contour strip cropping 
• Field strip cropping
• Buffer strip cropping
• Wind strip cropping

1. Crop rotation – This helps in preventing soil erosion, enhancing soil fertility, increasing the growth of organic matter of soil and therefore betterment of physical conditions of the soil. Lastly, crop rotation can also help in controlling weed growth. 
2. Mixed Cropping – This method involves the growth of more than one crop on the same land altogether. This helps in better use of plant nutrients, decreasing wind effects by growing both tall as well as short crops etc.

Thus, these are a few of the biological measures that can be used for protecting the environment from soil erosion. 

Conclusion

As we conclude this, we are now well versed with the concept of soil erosion. Soil erosion can be defined as the process which involves gradual movement of the uppermost layer of the soil through different agents such as water, wind and mass movement. Soil erosion can lead to deterioration in the condition of the soil. Soil erosion can be caused because of several factors such as deforestation, overgrazing, excessive use of chemicals etcetera. This can lead to floods, loss in quality of soil, loss to the economy and various other harmful effects. There are a lot of ways through which soil erosion can be prevented. These ways can be categorised into two types – engineering and biological ways. The biological measures for preventing soil erosion include strip cropping, crop rotation and mixed cropping are a few of the ways that can be used for protecting the environment. The engineering measures that can be used for preventing soil erosion, include bunding, contour trenching, terracing and grassed waterways