Assessment of Soil Erosion Threats on Environmental Functions For Road Side Development: the case of Addis Adama Express Way
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Date
2015-06
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Addis Ababauniversity
Abstract
A developed road side should provide operational, auxiliary, visual and environmental functions that are
dependent on the biophysical and spatial nature and status of the surrounding landscape. It is imperative that
major environmental components such as air, water, soil, fauna and flora be preserved and integrated within a
road network to sustain ecological balance of the environment and service demand of the road. One of these
components the soil in particular, is overlooked for its decisive role to ecologically integrate and sustain a road
network for its designed years of service. Areas exposed to sever soil erosion leading to loss of water bodies and
land degradation within the rights-of –way and a possible extension beyond for their critical and context sensitive
objectivity, needs to be planned, designed, constructed and maintained for vegetation management and
environmental preservations and remediation.
In this research, soil erosion is raised as one of the critical and context sensitive environmental problem resulting
in loss of minor water bodies and land degradation within the study area threatening sustainability of the Express
way
The problem is identified and assessed using field inventory and subsequent spatial analysis of relevant road
side contextual features or topographic appearances’ by implementing RUSLE Model in Arc GIS. The contextual
features or parameters are rated or weighted to pin point the extent of soil erosion and propose remedial
measures further.
In addition, the research outlines the need for
Conventional definition and extent of road side development
A conceptual frame work for natural resource preservation and landscape management of municipal
developments, in particular the Express way, for context sensitive, critical planning and development.
identification of road side functions and values, prioritizing relevant contextual data on natures’ inventory
within and beyond rights-of-ways of the Express way
Assessment models with analytical procedures to support integrated decision making and policy level
considerations of road side development.
Moreover, Federal and Regional policies and guidelines should be declared officially and implemented while
planning, designing, constructing and maintaining non- traditional road side development.
KEY WORDS: Context sensitive road side development, Environmental Function, Road side definition, Road side
extent, , Soil erosion, RUSLE model
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Keywords
Context sensitive road side development; Environmental Functio; Road side definition;Road side Extent; Soil erosion; RUSLE model