UNIT I: Soil Erosion Principles

- Approaches to Soil Conservation: Various strategies and methods employed to prevent soil erosion.
- Soil Conservation in India: Specific measures and initiatives implemented in India to conserve soil.
- Erosion Agents and Causes: Factors contributing to soil erosion including water, wind, and human
activities.
- Mechanics of Water Erosion: Processes involved in water erosion such as raindrop impact, sheet flow,
and channel formation.
- Types of Water Erosion: Raindrop erosion, Sheet erosion, Rill erosion, Gully erosion, Stream bank
erosion.
- Gully Control Structures: Techniques and structures used to mitigate gully erosion like Drop Spillway,
Drop Inlet, and Chute Spillways.
- Prerequisites for Soil and Water Conservation Measures: Necessary conditions and considerations
before implementing conservation practices.
UNIT II: Estimation of Soil Erosion
- Runoff Computation: Calculating runoff using methods like the SCS-CN method.
- Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) : Evolution, applications, and limitations of this widely used
equation.
- Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation (MUSLE) : Adaptations and improvements made to the USLE.
- Permissible Erosion: Maximum allowable erosion rates for sustainable land use.
- Land Use Capability Classification: Categorization of land based on its suitability for various uses.
- Classification of Eroded Soils: Identifying and categorizing soils based on erosion severity.
UNIT III: Erosion Control Measures
- Agronomic Practices: Farming techniques such as contour cultivation strip cropping, and tillage
methods.
- Soil Management Practices: Methods to enhance soil structure and fertility.
- Bunding : Construction of barriers to control water flow and prevent erosion.
- Terracing: Building stepped levels on hillsides to reduce erosion and retain water.
- Grassed Waterways: Natural or constructed channels lined with vegetation to control water flow.
- Gully Control Structures: Temporary and permanent structures to mitigate gully erosion.
UNIT IV: Water Conservation Measures
- In-situ Soil Moisture Conservation: Methods to retain water within the soil, reducing runoff and
erosion.
- Water Harvesting: Techniques such as micro-catchments and farm ponds to capture and store water.
- Check Dams, Earthen Dams, Retaining Walls : Structures built to impede water flow and conserve
water resources.
UNIT V: Sedimentation
- Sources and Types of Sediment: Origins and categories of sediment loads.
- Mechanics of Sediment Transport: Processes involved in the movement of sediment by water.
- Estimation of Bed Load: Techniques for calculating the amount of sediment transported by streams.
- Reservoir Sedimentation: Factors affecting sediment accumulation in reservoirs.
- Silt Detention Tanks: Structures designed to trap sediment and prevent its entry into water bodies.
- Sediment Control Methods: Strategies to manage and mitigate the effects of sedimentation.
AI3402 SOIL AND WATER CONSERVATION ENGINEERING
UNIT I SOIL EROSION PRINCIPLES
Approaches to soil conservation – Soil conservation in India - Erosion – Agents - Causes -
Mechanics of water erosion – Soil erosion problems - Types of water erosion: Raindrop erosion, Sheet
erosion, Rill erosion, Gully erosion, Stream bank erosion – Classification of Gully – Gully Control
Structures: Drop Spillway, Drop Inlet, Chute Spillways - Prerequisites for soil and water conservation
measures.
UNIT II ESTIMATION OF SOIL EROSION
Runoff computation for soil conservation: SCS-CN method – Evolution of Universal Soil Loss
Equation: Applications and Limitations – Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation – Revised Universal Soil
Loss Equation- Permissible erosion – Land use capability classification - Classification of eroded soils.
UNIT III EROSION CONTROL MEASURES
Agronomic practices: contour cultivation - strip cropping – tillage practices – Soil management
practices – Bunding: Types and design specifications - Mechanical measures for hill slopes – Terracing:
Classification and design specification of bench terrace – Grassed waterways: Location, construction and
maintenance – Types of temporary and permanent gully control structures.
UNIT IV WATER CONSERVATION MEASURES
In-situ soil moisture conservation – Water harvesting principles and techniques: Micro
catchments, catchment yield using morphometric analysis - Farm ponds: Components, Design,
Construction and Protection – Check dams - Earthen dam – Retaining wall.
UNIT V SEDIMENTATION
Sediment: Sources – Types of sediment load – Mechanics of sediment transport – Estimation of
bed load – Sediment Graph - Reservoir sedimentation: Basics - Factors affecting sediment distribution
pattern, Rates of reservoir sedimentation - Silt Detention Tanks – sediment control methods.