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Current Dynamics of Hydric Erosion in the Kingouari, Mfilou and Djoué Watersheds in the Southwestern Part of Brazzaville City (Congo)

Received: 26 August 2020     Accepted: 15 September 2020     Published: 12 October 2020
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Abstract

The objective of this study is to quantify soil losses in the Kinsoundi 16A district, located in the Kingouari, Mfilou and Djoué watersheds. The aim is to highlight the current dynamic of water erosion in this southwestern part of Brazzaville's urban area and to evaluate the effectiveness of the control measures used. The methodological approach adopted was based on: (i) the measurement of the evolution of the soil surface, using profilometers placed on the 12 main roads in the district where 68 measurement points have been installed, (ii) the three-dimensional measurement (volume) of 22 ravines and gullies that incise the district, (iii) the measurement of slopes along arteries using a clinometer, (iv) the inventory of facilities used to control soil erosion, (v) interviews with populations to understand the history of the phenomenon and the control methods used. The soil losses by surface stripping, measured on 12 roads from 2007 to 2010, are 78.1 t/ha. A destruction of 4.7 ha of land, or 2% of the Kinsoundi 16A territory and 94,247 t/ha of land, was removed from these watersheds in 20 years by the 22 ravines. The aggressive nature of this dynamic is explained by the combination of the following natural and anthropogenic factors: frequent rains (≥ 15 days/month) very erosive with a Rusa index of 287 to 866 points, sandy soils with more than 90%, without cohesion and fragile, densification of the habitat on the ground (2 houses on average per plot of 400 m2), resulting in increased waterproofing of surfaces and responsible for the current erosive runoff, the absence of channels to canalize and control runoff, hence roads transformed into storm water collectors. The control measures used by the populations are inadequate and therefore not very effective (bags of soil that can be degraded in three months, used tires, solid waste dumped at the head of the ravines). Those financed by the State are expensive gabions but of limited effectiveness around the treated ravine. It is therefore imperative to treat the entire district as a risk watershed, by strengthening its vulnerable sectors and by building and developing a coherent system to control rainwater runoff. These curative measures must be underpinned by preventive actions that are more effective and less expensive.

Published in Earth Sciences (Volume 9, Issue 5)
DOI 10.11648/j.earth.20200905.16
Page(s) 201-209
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2020. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Brazzaville, Urban Space, Water Erosion, Gully, Profilometer

References
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Cite This Article
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    Jean de Dieu Nzila, Noel Watha-Ndoudy, Delestras Kaya-Mabiala, Pierre Mboungou-Nsompi, Dieudonne Louembe, et al. (2020). Current Dynamics of Hydric Erosion in the Kingouari, Mfilou and Djoué Watersheds in the Southwestern Part of Brazzaville City (Congo). Earth Sciences, 9(5), 201-209. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.earth.20200905.16

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    ACS Style

    Jean de Dieu Nzila; Noel Watha-Ndoudy; Delestras Kaya-Mabiala; Pierre Mboungou-Nsompi; Dieudonne Louembe, et al. Current Dynamics of Hydric Erosion in the Kingouari, Mfilou and Djoué Watersheds in the Southwestern Part of Brazzaville City (Congo). Earth Sci. 2020, 9(5), 201-209. doi: 10.11648/j.earth.20200905.16

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    AMA Style

    Jean de Dieu Nzila, Noel Watha-Ndoudy, Delestras Kaya-Mabiala, Pierre Mboungou-Nsompi, Dieudonne Louembe, et al. Current Dynamics of Hydric Erosion in the Kingouari, Mfilou and Djoué Watersheds in the Southwestern Part of Brazzaville City (Congo). Earth Sci. 2020;9(5):201-209. doi: 10.11648/j.earth.20200905.16

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  • @article{10.11648/j.earth.20200905.16,
      author = {Jean de Dieu Nzila and Noel Watha-Ndoudy and Delestras Kaya-Mabiala and Pierre Mboungou-Nsompi and Dieudonne Louembe and Victor Kimpouni and Marie Joseph Samba Kimbata},
      title = {Current Dynamics of Hydric Erosion in the Kingouari, Mfilou and Djoué Watersheds in the Southwestern Part of Brazzaville City (Congo)},
      journal = {Earth Sciences},
      volume = {9},
      number = {5},
      pages = {201-209},
      doi = {10.11648/j.earth.20200905.16},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.earth.20200905.16},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.earth.20200905.16},
      abstract = {The objective of this study is to quantify soil losses in the Kinsoundi 16A district, located in the Kingouari, Mfilou and Djoué watersheds. The aim is to highlight the current dynamic of water erosion in this southwestern part of Brazzaville's urban area and to evaluate the effectiveness of the control measures used. The methodological approach adopted was based on: (i) the measurement of the evolution of the soil surface, using profilometers placed on the 12 main roads in the district where 68 measurement points have been installed, (ii) the three-dimensional measurement (volume) of 22 ravines and gullies that incise the district, (iii) the measurement of slopes along arteries using a clinometer, (iv) the inventory of facilities used to control soil erosion, (v) interviews with populations to understand the history of the phenomenon and the control methods used. The soil losses by surface stripping, measured on 12 roads from 2007 to 2010, are 78.1 t/ha. A destruction of 4.7 ha of land, or 2% of the Kinsoundi 16A territory and 94,247 t/ha of land, was removed from these watersheds in 20 years by the 22 ravines. The aggressive nature of this dynamic is explained by the combination of the following natural and anthropogenic factors: frequent rains (≥ 15 days/month) very erosive with a Rusa index of 287 to 866 points, sandy soils with more than 90%, without cohesion and fragile, densification of the habitat on the ground (2 houses on average per plot of 400 m2), resulting in increased waterproofing of surfaces and responsible for the current erosive runoff, the absence of channels to canalize and control runoff, hence roads transformed into storm water collectors. The control measures used by the populations are inadequate and therefore not very effective (bags of soil that can be degraded in three months, used tires, solid waste dumped at the head of the ravines). Those financed by the State are expensive gabions but of limited effectiveness around the treated ravine. It is therefore imperative to treat the entire district as a risk watershed, by strengthening its vulnerable sectors and by building and developing a coherent system to control rainwater runoff. These curative measures must be underpinned by preventive actions that are more effective and less expensive.},
     year = {2020}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Current Dynamics of Hydric Erosion in the Kingouari, Mfilou and Djoué Watersheds in the Southwestern Part of Brazzaville City (Congo)
    AU  - Jean de Dieu Nzila
    AU  - Noel Watha-Ndoudy
    AU  - Delestras Kaya-Mabiala
    AU  - Pierre Mboungou-Nsompi
    AU  - Dieudonne Louembe
    AU  - Victor Kimpouni
    AU  - Marie Joseph Samba Kimbata
    Y1  - 2020/10/12
    PY  - 2020
    N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.earth.20200905.16
    DO  - 10.11648/j.earth.20200905.16
    T2  - Earth Sciences
    JF  - Earth Sciences
    JO  - Earth Sciences
    SP  - 201
    EP  - 209
    PB  - Science Publishing Group
    SN  - 2328-5982
    UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.earth.20200905.16
    AB  - The objective of this study is to quantify soil losses in the Kinsoundi 16A district, located in the Kingouari, Mfilou and Djoué watersheds. The aim is to highlight the current dynamic of water erosion in this southwestern part of Brazzaville's urban area and to evaluate the effectiveness of the control measures used. The methodological approach adopted was based on: (i) the measurement of the evolution of the soil surface, using profilometers placed on the 12 main roads in the district where 68 measurement points have been installed, (ii) the three-dimensional measurement (volume) of 22 ravines and gullies that incise the district, (iii) the measurement of slopes along arteries using a clinometer, (iv) the inventory of facilities used to control soil erosion, (v) interviews with populations to understand the history of the phenomenon and the control methods used. The soil losses by surface stripping, measured on 12 roads from 2007 to 2010, are 78.1 t/ha. A destruction of 4.7 ha of land, or 2% of the Kinsoundi 16A territory and 94,247 t/ha of land, was removed from these watersheds in 20 years by the 22 ravines. The aggressive nature of this dynamic is explained by the combination of the following natural and anthropogenic factors: frequent rains (≥ 15 days/month) very erosive with a Rusa index of 287 to 866 points, sandy soils with more than 90%, without cohesion and fragile, densification of the habitat on the ground (2 houses on average per plot of 400 m2), resulting in increased waterproofing of surfaces and responsible for the current erosive runoff, the absence of channels to canalize and control runoff, hence roads transformed into storm water collectors. The control measures used by the populations are inadequate and therefore not very effective (bags of soil that can be degraded in three months, used tires, solid waste dumped at the head of the ravines). Those financed by the State are expensive gabions but of limited effectiveness around the treated ravine. It is therefore imperative to treat the entire district as a risk watershed, by strengthening its vulnerable sectors and by building and developing a coherent system to control rainwater runoff. These curative measures must be underpinned by preventive actions that are more effective and less expensive.
    VL  - 9
    IS  - 5
    ER  - 

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Author Information
  • Natural Sciences Department, Higher College of Teacher Training (ENS), Marien Ngouabi University, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

  • National Forest Research Institute (IRF), Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

  • Natural Sciences Department, Higher College of Teacher Training (ENS), Marien Ngouabi University, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

  • Natural Sciences Department, Higher College of Teacher Training (ENS), Marien Ngouabi University, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

  • National Forest Research Institute (IRF), Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

  • Natural Sciences Department, Higher College of Teacher Training (ENS), Marien Ngouabi University, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

  • Geography Department, Faculty of Literature, Arts and Humanities (FLASH), Marien Ngouabi University, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo

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