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Unprecedented rates of landslide and surface erosion along a newly constructed road in Yunnan, China

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  • Roy Sidle
  • Takahisa Furuichi
  • Yasuyuki Kono

Abstract

Field measurements conducted 4 years after the construction of a new portion of the Weixi–Shangri-La road in Yunnan, China, reveal that unprecedented rates of mass wasting occurred along the road with much of this sediment directly impacting the headwaters of the Mekong River. Landslide erosion (including dry ravel) exceeded 33,000 t ha −1 year −1 along the most severely eroded sections of the road and averaged more than 9,600 t ha −1 year −1 along the surveyed 23.5 km of road; these values are the highest ever reported for road-related landslides. While surface erosion was only about 7% of the total erosion from the road, it is still more than an order of magnitude higher than typical surface erosion rates from disturbed lands in Southeast Asia. Combined landslide and surface erosion from this road delivered an estimated 19 times more sediment to the river than the remaining 99.6% of the contributing catchment. These sediment inputs are aggrading local channels, promoting downstream sediment transport, degrading aquatic habitat, and creating the possibility for a future debris flood or hyperconcentrated flow. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011

Suggested Citation

  • Roy Sidle & Takahisa Furuichi & Yasuyuki Kono, 2011. "Unprecedented rates of landslide and surface erosion along a newly constructed road in Yunnan, China," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 57(2), pages 313-326, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:nathaz:v:57:y:2011:i:2:p:313-326
    DOI: 10.1007/s11069-010-9614-6
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Krongkaew, Medhi, 2004. "The development of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS): real promise or false hope?," Journal of Asian Economics, Elsevier, vol. 15(5), pages 977-998, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Roy C. Sidle, 2020. "Dark Clouds over the Silk Road: Challenges Facing Mountain Environments in Central Asia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-11, November.

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