Modelling Soil Erosion and Sediment Yield for Dam Reservoir Management: a Case Study of the Maruba Dam Catchment, Kenya

Abstract

Soil erosion is a severe land degradation issue that many developing nations continue to face. Its effects are more pronounced in catchment areas due to the combination of environmental and human factors. According to experts, soil erosion is a costly problem to fix, which is why so many attempts have been made to avoid it. However, in catchment areas, soil and water management strategies cannot be implemented without prior information of soil loss. In Machakos town's Maruba dam catchment, soil loss is a serious problem. It has resulted in severe soil degradation in the catchment area as well as sedimentation issues in the dam reservoir. Scientific data on soil erosion in the catchment area and reservoir sedimentation rates, on the other hand, is scarce. Furthermore, the dam environment is desolate, with little evidence of soil protection measures. The Machakos County Government, the Kenya Water Resources Authority, and the Machakos Water and Sewerage Company Limited have all battled to manage the Maruba dam reservoir. The goal of this study was to model the annual soil erosion rates and sediment yield in the dam catchment, estimate annual reservoir sedimentation rates, and assess the physicochemical qualities of dam reservoir sediments for biotic or abiotic uses.