Syed Muzzamil Hussain Shah

Response of Partially Covered Road Embankments and its Environmental Impact

Tropical regions have always suffered soil loss by water which deteriorates the surrounding environment in several ways. This paper focuses on one of an issue that under the tropical rainfall event how the newly constructed bare highway affects the water turbidity and total suspended solids in a water channel. The study was based on a pilot scale field test which was constructed in compliance with the real field conditions. The study was limited to the tropical rainfall event of 40 mm/hr, native grass cover, sandy loam, and for the road side slope of 1V:1.5H (~ 30°). To determine the turbidity and total suspended solids (TSS), three plots were observed with the different percentage of covers namely, no cover (plot A-control plot), 50% of the grass covered surface (plot B), and 30% of the grass covered surface (plot C). The purpose of the study was to observe the influence of these three plots on the dependent variables that is turbidity and TSS. The study summarizes that the presence of cover is adequate enough to cope with this issue to an extent. The results obtained showed that the bare soil surface performed worst under the rainfall intensity of 40 mm/hr for both the dependent variables. The maximum turbidity values observed from plot B and plot C were 30% and 90.25% respectively of the maximum turbidity value obtained from plot A. Similarly, the maximum TSS values observed from plot B and plot C were 35.21% and 63.76% respectively of the maximum TSS value observed from plot A.

The Rain Drop Impact on the Water Discharge and Sediment Transport under the Full-Scale Test

The magnitude of soil erosion by water remains high in the tropical regions. The construction activities further worsen this process which leads to the undesirable effects. The newly constructed highway embankments usually remain bare and are considered to be the prime agent of soil loss. The soil surface with an appropriate cover helps restricting the soil detachment for which many agronomic soil conservation practices have been used. This paper integrates that why a simple grass cover has been recommended to cope with this inevitable issue. It further assimilates the results obtained from a full scale test conducted in the Perak State Malaysia under the simulated rainfall condition of 40 mm/hour (average rainfall event) for which the rainfall data was obtained from the Meteorological department Perak State, Malaysia from the year (2005-2011). The volume rate of water flow and sediment transport was observed at different time intervals for three plots i.e. (Plot-I) the fully grass covered surface, (Plot-II) the bare soil surface, and (Plot-III) 50% of the grass covered surface with an area of 2 meters by 6 meters having a slope angle of 30°. The results obtained showed maximum water discharge and soil loss for (Plot-II) the bare soil surface, which was found to be 5.78 x 10-5 m3 sec-1 and 500.9 g m-2 respectively.

Review of Grass Cover as a Protective Layer Against Surficial Erosion

The undesirable effects on the soil (loss of fertile top soil) have been observed mainly due to erosion by water. The soil surface with an appropriate cover helps improving the soil structure for which many agronomic soil conservation practices have been used. This paper integrates that why a simple grass cover has been recommended to cope with this inevitable issue. The grass structure, influence of the root zone, grass efficiency against runoff and soil loss, and grass application at different slope angles have been studied. This paper further review the different parameters which must be considered while protecting the soil against erosion including hill slope shapes, characteristics of different plant types, proper compaction, soil modification, and cost comparison of different soil protection techniques.

Mitigation of soil erosion using sludge on road embankments — A conceptual study

There is a contradiction regarding the use of sludge as a soil amendment fertilizer. As stated in many studies it has many benefits as well as hazards concerning environmental issues. However, its use on road embankments for the purpose of reducing soil erosion is lightly discussed before and therefore is focused in this paper. Humid tropical regions like Malaysia have always remained the victim of severe erosion, supported by many factors including newly built road embankments which usually remain bare after the road construction. This paper integrates the comparative field analysis regarding the application of sludge on the road embankment within the limitations as it is found numerous in heavy metals. Furthermore, it is rich in nutrients which are considered necessary medium for the vegetation revival and soil formation. However, this paper is supported by an innovation which comes with a concept of applying sludge when properly treated and then implemented to the embankments.