China - Stabilization of River Bank -- North River, Guangdong Province

By Xia Hanping -- South China Institute of Botany, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

The following photos are of a project conducted along the embankment of North River, I wished very much to plant vetiver on the slope or near to water edge besides the top of the river bank, but the implementing company did not agree, although I strongly advised them to try it. They do not think vetiver could protect the sandy embankment, as they planted bamboo before, but failed! This is truly an ideal place to conduct the research on vetiver's resistance to the water flow. The vetiver seedlings used in the above project came from my nurseries.

 

 

 

The bank of the North River before treatment. Note the ineffectivenss of short rooted local grasses to stop erosion

 

 

 

The river bank smoothed out and reshaped prior to grass treatment

 

Good quality vetiver planted on the contour and at right anglew to current flow

 

Another views -- Good quality vetiver planted on the contour and at right anglew to current flow

October 16 2000

To be continued and updated