Impact of soil erosion and degradation on water quality: a review

Severe soil erosion challenges exist in China as a result of long-term human related activities and its erosion-prone land forms and climate. Anthropogenic forces that alter the physical landscape cause substantial soil erosion which have adverse impact on surface water bodies and therefore necessitating sediment control as important aspects of catchment management planning. In this review we focused principally on the erosion factors and how to prevent and/or mitigate them. The application of soil erosion models such as the universal soil loss equation, its modification and others were also studied. The results established by various researchers showed a relationship between impact of soil erosion and degradation on water quality indicating the source of pollutant as anthropogenic and industrial activities. These are the sources of particles and deleterious material that contribute to the surface water deterioration including the East Lake. The review revealed that erosion causes both on-site and off-site effects on land and also on water bodies thereby affecting its quality.