Assessment of Soil Erosion by Simulating Rainfall on an Equatorial Organic Soil

Johari, A.H. and Law, P.L and Taib, S.N.L. and Yong, L.K. (2017) Assessment of Soil Erosion by Simulating Rainfall on an Equatorial Organic Soil. Journal of Civil Engineering, Science and Technology, 8 (2). pp. 72-81. ISSN 2462-1382

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Abstract

Soil erosion occurs on construction sites partly due to site clearing that exposes the land to the erosive power of rainfall. A proposed construction project requires the submission of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) to assess the impact of the project on the environment. Assessment of soil erosion is included in the EIA, but the equation to estimate soil erosion known as the Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) is only applicable to a soil containing up to four percent organic matter. This limitation of USLE requires an alternative that can predict soil erosion on an organic soil. This study attempts to assess erosion that occurs on an organic soil by simulated rainfall. Field soil samples were reconstructed into three shapes and exposed to simulated rainfall. Results indicate that the amount of organic soil loss decreases with increasing duration of rainfall. Particle size distribution shows that particles with sizes finer than coarse sand (1.7 mm) remained on the slopes. Equations were developed from the graphs of soil loss versus duration of simulated rainfall to estimate soil loss occurring on slopes covered by an organic soil. The outcome of this study can be a precursor to developing an equation to estimate soil erodibility of a slope overlain by an organic soil.

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