Building Of Embankments Research Articles

Enhancing Oil Palm FFB Yields by Water Management: Sumber Tani Agung Resources’ Experiences

Oil palms (Elaeis guineensis) are generally able to grow economically on various soil types, especially across the regions of Malaysia and Indonesia. However, Fresh Fruit Bunche (FFB) production was lesser in flood-prone areas. In Sumber Tani Agung Resources (STAR), two estates namely (i) Seret Ayon (4289 ha) and (ii) Lembah Bawang (2511 ha) were facing problems of frequent flooding. Annual rainfall of these two estates would fall within 3500 mm - 4000 mm. Out of this, almost 30-40% of the total annual rainfall was recorded in the period of October-December. Furthermore, during the same period, high rainwater from the Forest Reserve of Bengkayang resulted from high water volume in the streams/rivers running across these estates. This caused high incidences of flooding. Therefore, a yield improvement program was embarked on to arise the existing height of riverbanks, literally speaking an ‘embankment or bund management’ on both banks of the river. A survey should be conducted first to demarcate areas that are prone to flooding incidences. Based on the survey results, areas that need improvement by ‘embankment’ would be identified and actions such as construction of flap-gates, building of embankments, and construction of drainage/reservoirs can be made. Outlet drains were desilted and thus, improved the water flow for smooth removal of excess water during the high pour and flooding seasons. FFB yields were satisfactorily increased from 11-14 mt/ha/yr during 2017-2018 to 25-33 mt/ha/yr in 2022. Besides improving FFB yields, palm growth also satisfactorily improved in frequently flooding areas, especially after three years of water management by embankment. In this paper, the commercial FFB yield of Seret Ayon Estate and Lembah Bawang Estate was collected and compared to those from before and after the implementation of efficient water management by embankment.

Numbers of Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris) are increasing at high alpine and arctic breeding sites in Norway

Cover photo: Female Horned Lark Eremophila alpestris. Photo: Terje Lislevand. Strong declines in number of breeding Horned Larks Eremophila alpestris were reported from several Fennoscandian breeding grounds in the 1960s and 1970s. Counts from the species’ high alpine breeding grounds at Hardangervidda, southern Norway in the early 1980s and the first couple of decades in the 2000s, and from its arctic breeding grounds in the Varanger region, northern Norway in the period 1996-2021, show a reversal of the trend. The increase in numbers is suggested to have resulted primarily from recovery of nonbreeding habitat after cessation of extensive building of embankments to prevent flooding in the German Wadden Sea area, which is the main wintering area of Fennoscandian Horned Larks.

Reliability Analysis of an Embankment Built and Reinforced in Soft Ground Using LE and FE

A coupling method is presented to integrate well-known geotechnical modeling commercial programs with a reliability one. Coupling enables us to use transformation methods, such as the first-order reliability method (FORM), to evaluate the reliability index (β) of a model, via the limit equilibrium (LEM) or the finite-element method (FEM). It was applied to a case study of a stage-constructed embankment on soft ground by considering two conditions, unreinforced and reinforced, to investigate its probabilistic stability. In addition, the value of β associated with a postconstruction settlement was acquired, and it showed one possibility that the coupling method is able to provide. The influence of the uncertainty level on reliability analysis was also analyzed. The outcomes were compared to the crude Monte Carlo simulation. As a result, the proposed approach was satisfactory, and the advantage of using it is presented; with a much lower computational cost than simulation methods, evaluation time may be up to 13.8 times faster than usual with great precision. Moreover, this approach can apply to other commercial programs widely used in practice.

Unearthing the ripple effects of power and resilience in large river deltas

Historically, flood resilience in large river deltas has been strongly tied to institutional and infrastructural interventions to manage flood risk (such as building of embankments and drainage structures). However, the introduction of infrastructural works has inevitably brought unforeseen, major consequences, such as biodiversity and accelerated land subsidence, endangering the fertile characteristics that made them interesting places to live in in the first place. These ripple effects have sparked, a reconsideration of what deltas are, questioning the very separation and control between nature and culture, and how deltas are to be dealt with. These effects have further sparked changing modalities of power that tend to be overlooked by delta and resilience scholars alike. As a result, there is a real risk that future interventions to increase resilience, will in fact amplify unequal power relations in deltas as opposed to alleviating them. If the system as a whole has achieved some level of flood resilience (partly due to the flood defence mechanisms in place), does infrastructure have a differential effect on people’s mobility under flood conditions? Are some groups experiencing less rather than more security, as water accumulates in some places but not others? This paper presents theoretical insights on the relationship between power and resilience in delta regions supported by two case studies, the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta in Bangladesh and the Mekong delta in Vietnam.

Floods and people, colonial north Bengal, 1871–1922

North Bengal is an area of heavy rainfall through which rivers flowing down from the Himalayas have been frequently overflowing and changing their beds in the soft alluvial soil. Floods have, therefore, been a recurring phenomenon, caused by snow-melting and heavy rainfall. The present article is an intensive study of the floods that ravaged north Bengal in a period of over 50 years (1871–1922) during which the ground surface changed with the building of embanked railway lines, other embankments and dams thereby blocking the natural drainage lines of the past. The article also chronicles how the local populations suffered from the constant recurrence and increasing virulence of floods. It thus aims to bring together the information we have on the environmental and the human history of the region for a period of about 50 years of colonial rule.

Discussion of “Long-Term Performance of a Highway Embankment Built with Lightweight Aggregates” by Anand J. Puppala, Sireesh Saride, Raja V. Yenigalla, Bhaskar C. S. Chittoori, and Ekarut Archeewa

Discussion of “Long-Term Performance of a Highway Embankment Built with Lightweight Aggregates” by Anand J. Puppala, Sireesh Saride, Raja V. Yenigalla, Bhaskar C. S. Chittoori, and Ekarut Archeewa

Multiple disasters management: Lessons from the Fukushima triple events

It has been five and a half years since the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE) in March 2011. This study summarize management and policy lessons from the GEJE. The recovery efforts that followed the triple disasters: the earthquake, tsunami and meltdown of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant are in progress. The experience of the GEJE and tsunami prompted the building of embankments throughout the Pacific coastal side of the Tohoku region. The Cabinet’s Reconstruction Headquarters used at least 19 trillion yen ($158 billion) for intensive reconstruction over five years through 2015. The local government of the affected area accelerated the decontamination of commercial land which is an important action for the recovery. The central government introduced the Electricity Business Act for implementing voluntary energy conservation measures for peak energy seasons. The GEJE has had an indirect effect on the health of the disaster victims via job uncertainty as well. Decontamination is crucial in bringing people and businesses back to the affected area and promoting sustainable economic recovery because it reduces uncertainty about the short and long-term health risks. An efficient health and occupation plan for the victims is essential for the integrated approach to multiple disaster management.

Appropriate Wrapping Width of Expansive Soil Embankment Built by Enveloping Method

In 2 sections of expansive soil trial embankments of Guangxi Ningming area, 4 monitoring profiles were set and series of testing elements were buried for field monitoring to determine the appropriate wrapping width. The statistical analysis of the monitoring data of water content, horizontal displacement changed with drying-wetting cycle of seasons in several monitored slopes was carried out. The results show that, when the horizontal distance to the slope surface in trial embankments is larger than 3 meters, the variation of soil water content and horizontal displacement are small, the wrapping depth of trial embankments is suitable; the obtained optimum seasons for expansive soil embankment construction in Guangxi are from January to April, and the prominent effect depth of expansive soil in the condition of wetting-drying cycle is 1.49m; furthermore, the appropriate wrapping width of expansive soil embankment built by the enveloping and wrapping technique in Nan-you Expressway is determined to be 3m. On the basis of the research, the method of determining the appropriate wrapping width of expansive soil embankment built by the enveloping and wrapping method was put forward.

Morphosedimentary Evolution of the Macrotidal Seine Estuary Subjected to Human Impact

Many estuaries in the world have been subjected to significant human impact since the 19th century. Natural infilling and human activities, including building of embankments, dikes and jetties have modified both the morphology of these estuaries and the distribution of sedimentary facies. The Seine, a macrotidal estuary, provides a good opportunity to study such modifications, as the latest morphosedimentary observations could be compared to old sediment maps as well as to geotechnical drilling data. In the mouth of the Seine, originally a sand/gravel system sediment distribution, has now been transformed into a muddy system. The result is a regressive sequence several meters thick. It is typically fining-up and corresponds to a shift from a distal term (pebbles, gravel, and coarse sands) at its base to a proximal term (mud and fine sands) at its top. Civil engineering works have reduced the available amount of space within the estuary, leading to an increase in the natural downstream shift of the depocenter of mud brought by winter river floods. The deposition area of the mud is today in the open marine zone, where waves and tidal currents render the balance of this process precarious.

Geo-environmental Changes and Land Development History after the Middle of the Yayoi Period in the "Asuka-Fujiwara Region", Nara Basin, West Japan

The Asuka-Fujiwara region contained the capital of Japan during A.D. 694-710. Many land developments have been carried out in this area over the past two thousand years. It is one of the most important areas in which to consider an analysis of the land development history of Japan. The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between geo-environmental changes and land development process of the Asuka-Fujiwara region after the middle of the Yayoi Period. The study identifies five stages in the geo-environmental history of this region. These stages are closely related to land development and land-use change.The following results were obtained:(1) The middle of the Yayoi Period (B.C.1-A.D.2th c.); A natural levee was formed on the Asuka river basin during this period, followed by soil formation. This soil formation indicates the existence of a stable geo-environment at this stage. The Shibu archaeological site was developed on this dry geo-environment natural levee.(2) From the late Yayoi Period to the Kofun Period (A.D.2-6th c.); During this period, the back swamp was buried around the natural levee by sediments from the Asuka river floods. On account of this sedimentation, the natural levee located in the Shibu archaeological site became wetter than it was during the middle of the Yayoi Period. Paddy fields were also developed in this back swamp area during this period.(3) From the Asuka Period to the middle of the Heian Period (A.D.7-about A.D.10th c.); By the end of the Kofun Period, sediments from the Asuka river floods resulted in a completely flat landscape. Following this, The soil formation was occured on the floodplain, indicating that the area had become a stable environment during this stage. The development of the Fujiwara Capital and the Jori Grid Plan were constructed on the Asuka river floodplain during this period.(4) From the late Heian Period (A.D. 11th c.) to A.D.14th c.; The channel entrenchment that occurred along the Asuka river led to the formation of a Holocene terrace by A.D.12th c. This entrenchment made the floodplain small, and transformed the terrace geo-environment from wet to dry. Paddy fields on the Holocene terrace were abandoned because of this environmental change. As a result, these cultivated lands, including Hida-sho, were later redeveloped by Sho-en developers.(5) After A.D. 15th c.; Active sedimentation after A.D. 15th c. produced a natural levee along the Asuka river. This active sedimentation and the building of embankments led to the formation of a raised bed river on the natural levee zone of the Asuka river basin.