Determination of Erodibility Indices of Soils in Owerri West Local Government Area of Imo State, Nigeria.

Abstract

The problem of soil erosion, especially in the south-eastern part of Nigeria, is enormous. This problem is affecting the development because infrastructures such as houses, roads and many others are being destroyed yearly and this in turn constitutes an environmental menace. To effectively tackle this problem, there is a need to evaluate those factors of soils that affect erosion. In this study, some indices of soil erosion in Owerri West Local Government Area were determined. This study involves taking measurements of some soil parameters such as permeability, soil texture, and classification index on the field as well as laboratory tests from which the erodibility indices were computed. The results showed that Ohi with index of 0.044 has the highest erodibility index while Ava with 0.030 has the least one. The practical implication of these findings is in the area of design of control structures that will be able to stand the test of time.