A Review Of Road-Related Soil Erosion: An Assessment Of Causes, Evaluation Techniques And Available Control Measures

• Published in: Earth Sciences Research Journal
• Main Authors: Seutloali, Khoboso Elizabeth, Reinhard Beckedahl, Heinrich
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Universidad Nacional de Colombia - Sede Bogotá - Facultad de Ciencias - Departamento de Geociencias 2015
• Subjects: Roadcut and fill embankments; road drainage structures; runoff; soil loss; measurement and prediction; revegetation; Diseño de carreteras; llenado de diques; estructuras de desagüe de carreteras; escorrentía; pérdida de suelos; medida y predicción; revegetación; Arctic
• Online Access: https://revistas.unal.edu.co/index.php/esrj/article/view/43841

Road construction has increased significantly worldwide in the last decades to meet the demands of the increasing human population and this has led to serious soil erosion problems, the bulk of which is unaccounted for, especially in the developing world. For comprehensive land management decisions and monitoring strategies, a review of work that has been done to assess soil erosion due to roads is critical. This article, therefore, reviews the causes of road-related soil erosion, assessment methods and available control measures. Specifically, this work provides an overview of (i) the linkages between roads and soil erosion; (ii) measurement and prediction of road-related erosion; and (iii) erosion control and rehabilitation techniques. Literature shows that road construction results in hill-slope profile modification; removal of vegetation cover; as well as the formation of steep slopes that are prone to severe erosion. Furthermore, there is a variety of erosion control measures for controlling road-related erosion although no study has demonstrated the method that is cost efficient and operational across different landscapes. We are of the view that this study provides guidance in future research on road-related soil erosion across the developing world where sophisticated monitoring techniques are limited due to resource scarcity for assessing large areas. La construcción de carreteras se ha incrementado ampliamente en todo el mundo durante las últimas décadas para cumplir con las demandas de la creciente población humana, lo que ha llevado a serios problemas de erosión de suelos, muchos de los cuales no se previeron, especialmente, en los países en desarrollo. Sobre las decisiones y supervisión de estrategias de un manejo completo del terreno se realizó una revisión al crítico trabajo que se ha hecho para medir la erosión en suelos causados por las carreteras. Por esta razón, este artículo revisa las causas de la erosión relacionada con la construcción de rutas y evalúa los métodos y medidas de control ...