The Research Project to Prevent and Rehabilitate Shallow ...vetiver.org/ICV6_PROC/BIOENGINEERING /11 Songkiert Presentation.pdf · most accepted and well respected by ... The Foundation

The Research Project to Prevent and Rehabilitate Shallow Landslide in Steep Slope Areas : Case Study at Ban Na Tum Village, Tha U – Thae Sub-district, Kanchanadit District, Surat Thani Province, Thailand

Presented by

Dr.Songkiert TansamritSecretary General, Sustainable Energy Foundation

1

The Sixth International Conference on Vetiver (ICV 6)6 – 12 May 2015, Danang, Vietnam

Agenda

2

• Rationale and Objective

• Study Area and Stakeholder

• Community Involvement

• Demonstration Area for Applying Vetiver System

• Vetiver System

• Result of the Completed Work

• Evaluation

• Discussion and Conclusion

Rationale

Climate change has exerted significant influence on weather patterns resulting in season shift, heavy rainfall, severe flash floods, etc. leading to mudslides or landslips, which wreak havoc and devastation. Climate change is projected to intensify its severity and frequency.

3

Deforestation and forest encroachment for agricultural purposes have extended to slope areas, another contributing factor to landslides.

Local roads constructed on mountain and hill sides affect the stability and integrity of slope surface and ultimately cause imbalance, thereby instigating greater extent of mud and land slides, especially during heavy rainfall.

Objectives

State agencies are trained to provide relief and assistance during natural disasters. But all too often, the impact of a natural disaster is felt far and wide and affects several areas simultaneously; rendering emergency services is thus ineffective.

4

It is vital that communities themselves possess the self-reliant ability, knowledge and understanding of the factors contributing to landslides and mudslides.

The Sustainable Energy Foundation intends to provide communities with a set of knowledge and technical skills of the Vetiver System, whilst connecting the community local wisdom with scientific knowledge.

Agenda

5





• Vetiver System


• Evaluation


Study Area

• Ban Na Tum Village’s area possesses 23 sq.km. of drainage basin and watershed areas, which is not too wide.

• Many types of mudslides and landslides are found there.

• There is a road that runs along the mountain slopes

• Villagers conduct agricultural works on slope areas.

6

The Foundation then decided to select the Ban Na Tum Village as the ideal venue to conduct a case study.

Stakeholders

The stakeholders in the study area consist of several groups :

Local NGO bears significant intellectual influence on the community and is most accepted and well respected by the community. The NGO group was prioritized to take part in community involvement process .

7

Agenda

8





• Vetiver System


• Evaluation


Community Involvement : 1. Informing and Consulting2. Involvement3. Collaboration and Empowerment

The community involvement with a sense ownership to learn how to implement the knowledge set is an important factor in ensuring success for community learning and self-reliance.

The Foundation has initiated the community involvement in 3 steps as follows:

1. Informing and Consulting

9

Thirteen (13) joint-meetings among the Foundation, the NGO and community representatives were conducted. The NGO proposed that the knowledge and skill sets to be provided to the community must produce tangible results and direct benefit to the community. One of the greatest needs of the community is a clear and definite demarcation of the existing agricultural lands.

Six (6) discussion meetings were organized between community leaders and members who have both residential and agricultural lands in the area. They were interested to learn of the Vetiver System as a bio-engineering application, plastic flapped sacks, vetiver grass and vegetation method to prevent future shallow landslide.

The community raised an additional proposal to study changes and how to rehabilitate forest areas and the eco-system after a landslide.

Remark : - The Ban Na Tum villagers established their community within the Sikiet Waterfall National Park area in 1981.

- The Sikiet Waterfall became a National Park in 1999

The Foundation formulated the meeting results from Informing and Consulting step into 3 plans with a person designated to be in charge of each plan.


10

Plan 1 The study of community context and ecosystem restoration after a landslide, Mr. Nakarin Asawai - Green Globe Institute

Plan 2 The survey and map creation to demarcate and identify landholdings and land usage within Sikiet Waterfall Natural Park, Mr. Pongsa Chu-nam – Green Globe Institute

Plan 3 The use of plastic flapped sacks, vetivergrass and vegetation method to prevent and rehabilitate shallow landslide problems, Mr. Pitipong Kitkarnmoe – Community leader and a member of the SubdistrictAdministrative Organization

All three plans are under the project titled: “The Research Project to Prevent and Rehabilitate Shallow Landslide in Steep Slope Areas: The Case Study at Ban Na Tum Village, Tha U-thaeSubdistrict, Kanchanadit District, Surat Thani Province.”

2) Involvement

The Foundation created a curriculum and training documents on soil erosion and landslide knowledge. The content of the curriculum consists of

1) The world and utilization of natural resources, 2) Geology and the earth environment3) Wind, air and climate phenomenon4) Roles and effect of vetiver grass /

vegetation on soil erosion and landslides5) Plant Root system, 6) Factors and types of erosions and landslides, 7) Situation monitoring and evacuations, 8) Soil properties, 9) Rubber trees as companion crop10) Community Radio.


11

Tests of the curriculum sets were performed with 2 groups :

(1) 26 teachers from the Thamvitaya Foundation School, the Satri Islam School of Yala Province and the Green Globe southern network, from 7th to 9th June 2013.

(2) 37 teachers from 10 schools of the 3 southern provinces also performed tests ofthe curriculum sets from 1st and 2nd of November 2013.

And then launched the training program to 38 community members and leaders.

Next, the foundation invited community members to visit the actual fieldwork along the Thai-Myanmar gas pipeline. The field study trip allowed the community to witness real-life work and implementation; they were able to ask questions from experts before they carry out actual work at Ban Na Tum village.


12

The Foundation donated a fund to the Kasetsart University and Prof.Dr.ApinitiChotisankat to set up a 7 x 10 meters demonstration plot to show how to use fabric to cover the soil and cultivation of vetiver grass and livestock. A camera was installed to observe root growth and a KU-Tensiometer to measure underground water pressure. The community was able to learn and join the actual practical work with a researcher team from the University.

The Foundation combined local wisdom with scientific knowledge for the community to clearly see the connection between science and their way of life.

The Ban Na Tum village community leader related his observations that the top slope of the road embankment displayed signs of soil surface sinking in a long narrow line. On the toe of slope was water seepage out of the lower part of the road embankment


13

The Foundation recorded the community’s observations and had them proven scientifically by inviting Asst.Prof. Diesel Suanburi of KasetsartUniversity to apply the Resistivity equipment to measure electricity currents to analyze the underground structural integrity. The tests discovered that a fault line has formed in the same area as the sinking long narrow line. The water saturated soil was found in the underground areas beneath a road and then condensed into water and flowed out at the toe of slope by the earth’s gravitational pull.


14

The community was involved in the study to learn how to measure plant roots, using theory to analyze the ability of Root Anchoring and Root Binding from Assistant Professor Dr.Somsak Sukwong. The community was able to measure and calculate the roots and classify soil holding capability of plants roots. This knowledge will be applied to the vegetation method.

On this Involvement step clearly illustrates the Foundation’s ability to link the community’s local wisdom with science.

3) Collaboration & Empowerment

• The President of the Tha U-thaeSubdistrict Administrative Organization presided as Chairperson of the Working Committee;

• The NGO network was Vice Chairperson and the project administrator.

• The Community Research Team led by community leader is the main group in carrying out all 3 Plans.

• The Foundation is responsible for knowledge document creation, training program and extracting the local wisdom and facilitating the work progress of the “Research Project”.


15

Agenda

16





• Vetiver System


• Evaluation


Demonstration Area for Applying Vetiver System

Area Selection

The area selected was the road built along the mountain slopes, the only access in and out of the community at the landslide damaged point called “Kuan Por Ta”.

17

Investigation : Damages

At the Kuan Por Ta, at Part A, a large crevice was formed at the lower road embankment, that is between 1.5 - 2 meters deep and 2 - 8 meters wide and 15 meters long. The damage to Part A is very risky. The road may collapse and obstruct all travels. Part B is also suffered from erosion, but can still maintain its original incline.

Investigation : Root Causes

On top of the hill, the forest areas were found to be changed into a rubber plantation. Therefore, it became a rainwater collection area of 50 x 224 meters or 1.12 hectares. The land is also inclined towards a single direction. This forces the rainwater to form a single torrent that flows down from the top in concentration to the road. Then the torrent would deluge onto and pour down under the road, thereby creating a shallow landslide and also continuous erosion to form a deep crevice at Part A.

Agenda

18





• Vetiver System


• Evaluation


Vetiver System

Vetiver System Utilization

The Vetiver System is the adaptive use of vetiver grass alongside engineering practices, other plants and water drainage system, in which all elements are able to integrate and work in harmony and create a Binding Force that helps reinforcing integrity of the slopes and make them even stronger.

19

The Vetiver System would use the engineering application, in which vetiver roots can grow within an engineered structure to create an Integration and Binding Force. In this program, plastic sacks with three wings called “plastic flapped sacks” are packed within soil, in which the strength of the sacks comes from the weaving structure. There would be small openings to allow vetiver roots and other plant roots to permeate, as well as the space between aligned sacks, where vetiver and other plant roots can also grow in between.

Human labor can be used to fill and pile the sacks, weighing around 25-30 kilograms each. It is thus suitable for affected areas where heavy machinery cannot be brought in.

Vetiver system is comprised of : 1. Vetiver and other vegetation method2. Engineering application3. Water drainage system

1. Vetiver and other vegetation method

Vetiver grass and vegetation create a natural structure that helps stabilize the area in the future. While the engineering application gradually decreases its efficacy, the roots of vetiver grass and other vegetation will perform the role of “fish net” and “ship anchor”, spreading and expanding like an underground structure that fastens itself to the earth and adds stability to the plastic flapped sacks and the road embankments

Vetiver System : 1. Vetiver and other vegetation method2. Engineering application3. Water Drainage System

20

The referenced studies did confirm that the vetiver root system having both net structure and soil depth penetration is capable of delaying slope failure, and also declared that forests and trees are influential in preventing shallow landslides; plant and tree roots help stabilize slopes, and deforestation has a direct correlation with a 7-fold increase in landslides.

Vetiver grass, 70,000 slips, and 130 perennial trees have been adapted to be used with plastic flapped sacks and water drainage system.


21

(1) Along the road shoulder, create a plot with bamboo fence, and cultivate vetiver grass to secure the soil on road shoulder and its embankment. This is to divert rainwater and trap soil particles and prevent rainwater from flowing underneath the road.

(2) On the four terraces along the embankments, create a plot with bamboo fence and cultivate vetiver grass on the berm terraces and plastic flapped sack terraces. This is to reinforce the embankment and divert the water flow out on the left and right sides of the terraces. Additionally, vetiver roots will penetrate in between the plastic flapped sacks and help draw out underground water and stabilize the rows of plastic flapped sacks even more.

(3) Along the slope of each berm terrace and plastic flapped sacks, dig up three levels of drenches with 10-cm wide base, then plant vetiver grass to add stability.

The community implemented the newly learned skills set from measuring the root and classifying different types of plant roots and planted the 20 Parkia timoriana, 30 Artocarpus integer, 50 Trema orientalis and 10 Tamarindus indicaalong the road embankment together with the engineering application and vetiver grass.

2. Engineering application


22

The plastic flapped sacks have extended flaps or “wings” on both left and right side as well as on the front. The sacks are placed along each side, with one sack laying on top of the adjacent sack’s flaps in a row. This provides 3x more strength in securing the sacks in place than normal types of sacks. The damaged road embankment in Part B is a Cut Slope like terraces. The dirt acquired from cut slope is brought to be filled in the plastic flapped sacks and then placed in step formation, also known as terraces or benches, for the damaged Part A that is a deep crevice.

The level of underground water bears an impact on the stability of the steep slopes. The placement of the 1,794 plastic flapped sacks along with the placement of drainage pipe culvert would make the damaged Part A Section become much more stable. The safety index increases from 1.1 to 1.42

Plastic Flapped sack laying in step formation with underground drainage pipe.

3. Water drainage system


23

When the amount of water in the soil exceeds its saturated point, the soil will become mud. The solution is to control the water level by

(1) reducing the amount of the rainwater by redirecting or diverging the torrents and preventing them from downpouring.

(2) reducing the rainwater velocity and increasing friction in the runoff pathway.

To reduce the amount of rainwater in agricultural areas, building a berm to cultivate vetiver grass and/ or placing plastic flapped sacks in rows as well as planting vetiver grass to diverge rainwater runoff at certain distance. The monoculture in agricultural area can be adjusted to agroforestry farming in the next step.

Built runoff rails along the road to receive the rainwater runoff from agricultural areas. A culvert in the form of a drainage pipe would be placed underneath the road to expel rainwater to forest areas in different sections.

The Engineering Application was cut slope, and plastic flapped sacks are assembled into terraces along with planting vetiver grass to add the stability to the road embankment. This is another way to create a water drainage way and diverge rainwater runoff from the terraces on both sides independently.


24

The monitoring and maintenance of water drainage system after rain and/or during rainfall as well as the cultivation of vetiver grass are necessary actions that must be taken.

Agenda

25





• Vetiver System


• Evaluation


Plan 1: The study of the community context and restoration of the ecosystem after a landslide event

Results of the Completed Work : Plan 1Plan 2Plan 3

26

The community reviewed all events, before, during and after the landslide disaster. What they learnt enables them to handle future disasters. They also learned how to classify different types of plant roots, allowing them to use these plants adaptively and cultivate them alongside vetiver grass to reinforce strength and stability of the engineering structures such as plastic flapped sacks.

Plan 2: Survey and create maps to demarcate and identify landholdings and land usage within Sikiet Waterfall Natural Park

Results of the Completed Work : Plan 1 Plan 2Plan 3

27

The community learned how to operate a GPS device. The boundaries of 217 plots of land uses within the Sikiet Waterfall Natural Park area were established. A joint agreement was made with the state dictating that the community will not further encroach forest areas. There was also an establishment of a clearly marked community forest area, where the community planted more trees and conserved and preserved their community forests, including The Sikiet Waterfall Natural Park area.

Remark : - The Ban Na Tum villagers established their community within the Sikiet Waterfall National Park area in 1981.

- The Sikiet Waterfall became a National Park in 1999

Plan 3: Using plastic flapped sacks, vetiver grass and vegetation method to prevent and rehabilitate shallow landslide problems

The community carried out various actual field works such as finding out the underlying cause, designing and solution finding, cutting slopes, piling sacks, planting vetiver grass, installing drainage culvert system, etc.


Group of Persons Roles Number of Persons

Community of Ban Na Tum Village Carry out Vetiver System work and tasks 24

Mr.Maetee Thipsit and Team members

Provide knowledge and work with the community

8

Sustainable Energy Foundation Photograph and record all procedures / creation of knowledge set / evaluation

9

The community learned the adaptive use of the Vetiver System together with the techniques of the vetiver and other vegetation methods, the engineering application in using plastic flapped sacks and water drainage system.

The learning and knowledge sets from all 3 Plans and framework have been compiled into documents and extracted to form knowledge and skill sets with photographs and persons who implemented the work, locations and resources to find answers to queries.

28

Plan 3: Using plastic flapped sacks, vetiver grass and vegetation method to prevent and rehabilitate shallow landslide problems


29

The Foundation has launched the vetiver system at Ban Na Tum Village Case Study Handbook. The important objective is to create community trainers/lecturers. Five (5) community members are qualified to transfer knowledge and skills. The Foundation will continue to provide educational program for local school teachers and students in the study area.

Before After

Agenda

30





• Vetiver System


• Evaluation


Social Return on Investment (SROI) :

The economic value of the project in terms of Social Return on Investment as well as evaluation of the aptitude and learning mastery and change of behavior in the form of Social Impact Assessment can be concluded as follows:

Evaluation : 1. SROI2. SIA

31

The actual investment was THB 564,000 and maintenance for 10 years. Every THB 1 spent, the return was THB 5. In commercial terms of the plastic flapped sack cost including overhead fee, the return will be THB 4.

Social Impact Assessment (SIA) :


32

In terms of aptitude, the learning and behavioral change (Social Impact Assessment) interviews were conducted on 21community team members (15 men, 2 women and 4 children) who took part in the adaptive use program of Vetiver System.

Learning : Adaptive use of the Vetiver System

No. of People

Engineering application: build steps or terraces, piling flapped plastic sacks and cut slope, build barrier to prevent erosion and build a berm

13

Vegetation method: Needs more extensive knowledge

4

Water drainage system: stacking stones at the gully ditch to createwater runoff drain, place a culvert pipe to drain underground water and find the torrent water source

10

Vetiver Grass: Able to create a vetiver cultivation plot, ability to learn how to cultivate vetiver grass, applying vetiver grass to prevent soil erosion and trap topsoil

16


33

Learning : Cause of Landslide and Mudslide

No. of People

Abnormally large amount of out-of-season rainfall; soil retaining too much water; water flows from above; groundwater in the soil

21

The steepness of the slopes 3 Vegetation that secures the

soil2

Type of soil 8 Other: Humans changed the

area for agriculture and destroyed forests, road construction, rock degradation, types of rocks, monocropping

4

Do not know 1


34

Agenda

35





• Vetiver System


• Evaluation


1. Vetiver System

The success of the Vetiver System at this level :

Discussion : 1. Vetiver System2. Community Involvement

36

The community saw the road embankment restoration in a strong and sturdy state, an operational water drainage system and the Vetiver hedge planted in rows to lock the soil in place and divert water runoff at the same time.

The creation of the Vetiver System Binding force: the roots of vetiver and other plants integrated with plastic flapped sacks structure will need more time.

Vetiver system needs maintenance and it will be an important continuous learning process. In theory, calculating the Vetiver System strength, especially the Binding Force, still requires greater study and research.

2. Community Involvement

The community will learn from hands-on experience. Learning the theory is the basic foundation.

Discussion : 1. Vetiver System2. Community Involvement

37

Learning from greater-experience person can pass on knowledge effectively.

The five community lecturers/ instructors, who can explain and teach others, have learnt both from the theory, and field trip education and hands-on experience. This group of people have ideas and are practical persons.

Building trust is important. Providing prompt assistance to the community when they request is a good starting point of this project.

Conclusion

Vetiver System• Vetiver System is an available alternative for the community that can be

learned and implemented to prevent shallow landslides. It can also be adapted and implemented in several applications.

• The sacks can be the used-fertilizer sacks; it is thus a very low investment but provides very worthwhile returns.

People Participation• Community involvement process is very important. The need to identify

mutual interest is crucial. • Community involvement in the learning process: the community can

practice the implementation techniques and apply their skills and abilities of which they can be proud. It is the process with the best effectiveness.

• The community research team is a group of young men; they are the main driving force of the project.

38

People Participation• A leader with strong leadership, transparency and co-authority, i.e. an NGO

in the area and a member in the Tambon Administrative Organization and also the community leader in the study area is ultimately required to drive the project.

• The project under the administration of the Chaipattana Foundation, Thais have faith and trust in, helps the facilitation with all parties very smoothly.

• The creation of a comprehensive knowledge set complete with documents and curriculum and the 5 community lecturers will help the community expand its network and learn on their own in a sustainable way.

• In managing the project, the Foundation achieved the principles of Sustainable Development as follows:

People are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature.

Environmental issues are best handled with the participation of all concerned citizens.

Sustainable development requires better scientific understanding of the problems.

Creativity, ideas and courage of youths and knowledge of indigenous people are taken into account.

Conclusion

39

Conclusion

40

KM : Local Wisdom

KM : Sciences

CommunitySocial Equity

Community Competency

Training Program :Curriculum &TrainingDocument

Visit Field Work

Local Wisdom proved by science• Root Anchoring &

Root Binding• Demonstration

Plot• Resistivity

Vetiver System : Do it by yourself

Community Lecturer

41

Thank you

The Research Project to Prevent and Rehabilitate Shallow ...vetiver.org/ICV6_PROC/BIOENGINEERING /11 Songkiert Presentation.pdf · most accepted and well respected by ... The Foundation

Documents