BAMBOO STABILIZATION STUDY

Kathmandu, Nepal
University of Natural Resources Vienna, Tribhuvan University

Over 30 species of bamboo grow across Nepal. Bamboo is a grass species that rapidly sequesters carbon in biomass and soil, and some species have similar compressive strengths to concrete and the tensile strength of steel. Bamboo grows rapidly, commonly occurring in two growth morphologies, clumping or lateral. In addition to its uses as a construction and building material, as well as uses in making furniture, handicrafts and paper, bamboo can be used as a tool for soil bioengineering. Soil bioengineering is the use of live plants and other natural materials to control erosion on slopes and riverbanks. Soil bioengineering relies on available and inexpensive indigenous materials, low capital costs compared to traditional civil engineering projects, and the ability to transport materials to remote areas to enhance the stability of slopes in areas without significant infrastructure such as roads or other transportation networks. Soil stabilization research is ongoing in Nepal, including a project area in the Middle Mountains, a range in the southern Himalayan foothills where a 1996 landslide was triggered by monsoon rains, which are becoming more erratic and severe due to climate change. Hedge brush layers, drainage cuttings and palisades, as well as vegetated bamboo crib walls and live check dams. The study includes an investigation of plant suitability, including pioneer plants that grow rapidly on degraded soils, dense and deep rooting systems that add strength to surface layers and lateral roots that quickly establish, as well as an investigation to the most successful plant propagation techniques. The introduction of soil bioengineering offers significant opportunities across Nepal from small villages built at high elevations to cities in valleys.

2006
1 acre
4593 feet above sea level

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