ABE 126

Land and Water Conservation

Engineering
I. Introduction to Soil and Water
Conservation Engineering Principles
• SWCE defined as the application of engineering
and biological principles to the solution of soil
and water management problems.

• Conservation of natural resources – utilization

without waste and to make a continuous level of
crop production while improving environment
quality.

• SWC – based on full integration of engineering,

atmospheric, plant, and soil sciences.
• Engineering Problems in SWCE:
o Erosion control
o Drainage
o Irrigation
o Flood control
o Water resource development & conservation
1. Soil Erosion
 the wearing away of a field’s topsoil by the natural
physical forces
 Occurs when soil is removed through the action of
wind, water , and tillage at a greater rate than it is
formed.
 Natural (wind and water)
 Man-made (tillage)
 Occurs in slope >8% aggravated by heavy rainfall,
improper logging, shifting cultivation, and road
construction (FAO, 1998)
Soil Erosion
Philippines (Asio, 2009)

• Philippines – wet tropical climate

• Annual rainfall of 1000mm (south) to > 4000mm

(mountainous area in eastern coast)
• Aggravated by 15-20 typhoons/year

• 18 typhoons in 2022 (OCHA, 2023)

• 60% of the country has rugged mountainous topography

of >18% slope
• Soil in sloping lands are poorly developed and unstable
or heavy clay w/ low infiltration capacity (favors soil loss)
Soil Erosion Philippines (Tacio, 2007)
• 22 provinces reported to have alarming soil erosion rate

• Among that have been losing their top soil were: Cebu,
Batangas, Marinduque, Ilocos Sur, and La Union
• 58% of the country’s total land area of 30M ha is
susceptible to erosion
• Tillage-induced soil erosion is significant and contributes to
the soil degradation process occurring in much of the hilly
upland areas of the humid tropics (Thapa et.al., 2001)
Soil Erosion

o by Wind
o by Water
o By Tillage (hilly upland areas)
• 2 crops /year caused soil to be transported
1 to 2 meters downslope (Thapa, 2001)
Effects of Soil Erosion
• On-Site

o Removal of valuable top soil

o Crop emergence, growth and yield are affected by loss of
natural nutrients and applied fertilizers
o Seeds and plants cab be disturbed or completely removed
o Transported organic matter
o Pesticides carried off the site with the eroded soil
o Yield Losses from reduction in the soil water holding
capacity, infiltration rates and loss of other beneficial
characteristics
Effects of Soil Erosion
• On-Site

o Loss in crop productivity caused by reduced water

holding capacity or rooting depth may be permanent
o Losses from nutrient loss can be offset by increased
use of fertilizers (FAO, 1998)

Magat Watershed – sheet erosion

88 tons/ha/yr = Php 1,320 /ha/yr of fertilizer
equivalent of nutrients (FAO, 1998)
Effects of Soil Erosion
• Off-Site

o Eroded soil deposited downslope delay or inhibits emergence

of seeds, buries small seedlings, and needs replanting
o Accumulation of sediments (contribute to road damage)
o Sedimentation of lakes, reservoirs, irrigation canals & paddy
fields, further decreasing productivity (Asio, et.al., 2009)
o Siltation cause damage to coral reefs and coastal fisheries
o Lost of lives and property
Landslide in St. Bernard, Leyte
Erosion Control & Conservation
Measures
• Tilling and cropping practices or land management
practices
• Contour plowing
• Strip cropping
• Crop rotation
• Contour strip cropping
• Conservation measures
• Contour buffer planting
• Terracing
• Etc.
Contour Plowing
Strip Cropping
 SALT: An agro forestry scheme
Sloping Agricultural Land Technology
 SALT: An agro forestry scheme

Compared to traditional tilling:

1,163.4 MT/ha/yr VS 3.4 MT/ha/yr (SALT) – tolerable range

Acceptable Soil Loss Limit w/in the range: 10-12 MT/ha/yr (Tacio, 2007)
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is using coco coir net for slope
stabilization and combined with growing of vetiver grass as narrow hedgerow across
the slope. Vetiver grass slows down rainfall veocity and filters out soil particles.
Proposed to require mining firms to plant “fast-growing” bamboo for reforestation to
control soil erosion and prevent landslides
Bamboo had been found to be useful in controlling landslides, land degradation and
soil mass movement. It can also improve the quality, moisture and stability of the soil.
Bamboo, which releases more oxygen than trees, also helps stabilize riverbanks,
regulate watersheds, prevent landslides, protect against soil erosion and recycle water
nutrients, according to the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan in a study
on the coastal areas of Peru and Ecuador (Inquirer).
2. Drainage

• Drainage is the natural or artificial removal of

surface or sub-surface water from an area

• Drainage in humid areas are essential for

developing or improving much land for crop
production

• In arid regions under irrigation, drainage is

needed to reclaim saline and sodic soils by
leaching and to prevent salinity problems by
maintaining a low water table.
2. Drainage

• the natural or artificial removal of surface

or sub-surface water from an area

• Two types:
o Surface drainage
o Sub-surface drainage
 Artificial slope to facilitate surface drainage

Surface drainage is the removal of excess water from the surface of

the land by shallow ditches or open drains
 Sub-surface drainage

Deep Open drains

Subsurface drainage is
the removal of water from
the rootzone by deep open
drain and pipe drains

Pipe drains
Importance of Drainage

• Pass down surplus rainfall

• Cater sub-surface flow (allow percolation)
• Dispose surplus irrigation run-off
• Control groundwater table depth for crop
production and salinization
• Reclaim land affected by salinity/sodocity
• Lack of drainage or poor drainage become
a critical developmental constraint
(Freisem and Scheumann, 2001):
• Poorly drained fields and inadequately
maintained drainage favor vector-borne
disease and create poor sanitary
conditions
• Land drainage – NIA
• Off-farm land drainage - DPWH
Strategies of land drainage would have to focus on
the problem of too much water during wet season
and integrate strategies combining different
aspects:
• Watershed management (reforestation, construction of
dams)
• River canal dredging and flood control (dikes)
• Improvement of canal capacities and protection of low-
lying area from inundation
• Integration of constructing drainage facilities as part of
irrigation system
3. Irrigation

• To increase crop production

o Improving germination
o Controlling air temperature
o Applying chemicals with the irrigation water
3. Irrigation

• Philippines
o 10.3 million ha agricultural lands

o Estimated irrigable area = 3.1 million ha

(NIA, 2022)

o 67.5% already developed irrigation systems

(national, communal, private, others)
3. Irrigation

• Palawan

o Estimated irrigable area = 28,348 ha (NIA,

2022)

o 128.88% already developed irrigation systems

national = 10,183 ha
communal = 18,384 ha
private = 3,408 ha
Other govt assisted = 4,559 ha
3. Irrigation

• NIA Irrigation Development Scheme Category:

a. run-of-the-river diversion
b. storage or reservoir
c. pump irrigation
Irrigation Problems (Delmo, 2013)

• Designed service area is larger than

available water source

• Inadequate operation & maintenance and

limited farmer participation

• Deterioration of existing irrigation systems

Irrigation Problems (PIDS, 2014)

• underestimation of the field water requirements

• underestimation of water losses

• water facility distribution must be set up so that there will

be no difference if the water flow is at minimum or under
full- water supply elevations

• assume high water use efficiency presupposes that there

is cooperation between and among farmers and
operators so that losses are minimized
• studies on irrigation needs within an area must include other
underlying factors
4. Flood Control

• Flood was defined as the relatively high water

that overflows the natural or artificial banks of a
stream or coastal area that submerges land not
normally below water.

Effects of flood:
Losses of lives
Damage to property
Disruptions of transportation, communication and health
services
Crop and livestock damages
Loss in business