Environmental-Friendly Countermeasure for River Bank Scouring: Bio-Engineering as an Alternative Solution

Abstract

Scouring and erosion on river bank becomes typical problem on alluvial river. This phenomenon is caused by the movement and scrapping of river flow as helicoidally movement of hydrodynamics’ forces comes up. Scouring countermeasure structure on the river bank normally takes an expensive cost, massive project, and does not meet the environmental and esthetics manner. This artificial structure that made of concrete and stone can not meet the Eco-hydraulics spirit and causing an environmental damage. Bio-engineering or Soft-engineering become an alternative solution which more naturally and more friendly to the environment. Bio-engineering is made of porous groynes which is installed at the outer bank. It made of circular bamboo and filled by wattle on the middle the structure. Groynes work like a bag and slow down the river flow on the outer-bank to prevent the erosion. Moreover, this structure acts like a huge bag to trap the sediment that carried by river flood. As a result, the sediment material is accumulated in the groynes and can be used as a media to plant some hydro crop like Ipomea Carnia and Vetiver grass.