Causes and Effects of Watershed Degradation - 7239 Words

USING SUITABLE EXAMPLES FROM KENYA, EXAMINE THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF WATERSHED DEGRADATION AND SUGGEST POSSIBLE INTERVENTION MEASURES TABLE OF CONTENTS CAUSES, EFFECTS AND SOLUTIONS TO WATERSHED DEGRADATION PREAMBLE Page 4 1. INTRODUCTION Page 4 - 6 2. Causes of Watershed Degradation Page 7 2.1 Land degradation 7 - 8 2.2 Deforestation 8 2.3 Removal of vegetation 8 2.4 Shifting cultivation without adequate fallow periods 9 2.5 Overgrazing 9 2.6 Poor farming methods 9 - 10 2.7 Cultivation of marginal lands 10 - 11 2.8 Improper crop rotations 11 2.9 Unbalanced fertilizer use 11 2.10 Pests and diseases 11 3. Underlying causes†¦show more content†¦But a watershed is more than a collection of streams and adjacent land areas--it is a natural resource system in which humans and other organisms interact with the land and its associated resources for sustenance, shelter, and security. The physical condition of a watershed, therefore, directly affects the health and well being of natural and social systems within its divides and indirectly affects those systems beyond its divides. Degradation of a watershed can have various forms: depletion of water resources, soil erosion and land degradation, impoverishment of the vegetative cover, and damage to the infrastructure. Land degradation is responsible for reduction of the vegetation cover. It can be caused by inadequate land management, overexploitation, and reduced soil fertility, but also by climatic factors. A poor vegetation cover leads to a reduced infiltration rate of the water into the soil and to a loss of water through surface runoff. Surface runoff is one of the reasons for the depletion of water resources on the one hand and for soil erosion on the other hand. Most of the surface runoff is not controlled or effectively used and so lost for the community. In order to profit from the rainwater it has either to infiltrate into the soil and be available for crop production or be intercepted and actively used forShow MoreRelatedProblem Statement Versus Needs Assesment1384 Words   |  6 Pagesof what is cu rrently a problem or an enhancement of a need to be added to a current situation. For example, let’s look at a fictitious rural community facing a particular environmental situation. The federal public land manager in charge of a watershed surrounding the small, rural community of Cottonwood Creek brings a partnership of local stakeholders together worried about the namesake stream that flowed through their town of 4,000 people. 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By continually definingRead MoreEssay on The Genesee River Watershed1994 Words   |  8 PagesIntroduction: The Genesee River Watershed. The Genesee River and its watershed is a major tributary to Lake Ontario. The river originates in the Allegheny Plateau in the town of Ulysses, Potter County, Pennsylvania, about fifteen miles south of the New York State border (GFLRPC, 2004). The river flows north through Allegheny, Livingston, and Monroe Counties and forming a portion of two borders between Livingston County and Wyoming or Monroe Counties. Letchworth State Park runs along the GeneseeRead MoreNigeri An Essential Requirement For Sustainable Agricultural Production Essay1393 Words   |  6 Pagesseason known as â€Å"August break†, which is usually experienced in the last two weeks of August. Degradation Nigeria is a developing country and the most populous country in Africa. There has been always the quest to feed the needy. There is freedom to almost everything in the country. 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