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Problems of Protection Against Piping and Surface Erosion in Central Tunisia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 August 2009

Ian C. Baillie ,
P.H. Faulkner ,
G.D. Espin ,
M.J. Levett  and
B. Nicholson
Ian C. Baillie
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, Polytechnic of North London, Holloway Road, London N7 8DB, England, UK.
P.H. Faulkner
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, Polytechnic of North London, Holloway Road, London N7 8DB, England, UK.
G.D. Espin
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, Polytechnic of North London, Holloway Road, London N7 8DB, England, UK.
M.J. Levett
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, Polytechnic of North London, Holloway Road, London N7 8DB, England, UK.
B. Nicholson
Affiliation:
Department of Geography, Polytechnic of North London, Holloway Road, London N7 8DB, England, UK.
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Extract

The formation of quasi-tubular voids in the subsoil, known as ‘piping’, is an important form of subsoil erosion that arises when substantial volumes of subsurface lateral throughflow pass through dispersible subsoils. Amongst the environmental factors that favour the development of piping are high contents of expansible clay minerals, a severe dry season, and convexities in the slope profile. The first two of these are characteristic of considerable areas in Central Tunisia.

In addition to natural slope-convexities, further topographic loci for pipe initiation and development are provided by the artificial convexities introduced into the slope profile by the construction of conservation banks. The earthworks are designed as protection against surface erosion processes, which prevail for most of the year in this part of Tunisia. However, it appears that the banking is particularly vulnerable to piping, which is causing considerable disruption. Australian experience indicates that banking should be used very sparingly on soils which are at all prone to piping, and that care is needed in both the alignment and construction of such banks as are deemed unavoidable.

Type
Main Papers
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 13 , Issue 1 , Spring 1986 , pp. 27 - 32
Copyright
Copyright © Foundation for Environmental Conservation 1986

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