Monday February 4, 2013

UKM working on ‘second skin’ for hillslopes

PETALING JAYA: Researchers at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) are creating a mulching mixture which can prevent landslides when sprayed over bare soil on hillslopes.

Research team head Datuk Ahmad Fuad Embi said the mixture comprising nutrients, fibre, gluing agents and plant seeds, would act like an invisible plastic cover over the earth, protecting it from erosion during intense rainfall.

“After being sprayed on the soil, the grass seeds in the mixture will grow within two weeks, covering and protecting the soil,” he said.

The team has been working on the project since the end of last year and is expected to get it ready for trials by the end of this year.

Ahmad Fuad, who is former deputy director-general of the Drainage and Irrigation Department, said such mulching mixtures had never been used in Malaysia as they were very expensive to import.

Besides, the seeds used in them were also unsuitable for tropical climates.

He said the team's challenge was to select the most suitable local grass seeds, adding that if successful, the local mulching product could be mass-produced at low cost.

“This can effectively solve the ongoing problem of erosion and sedimentation, especially with the country experiencing more landslides in recent years,” he said.

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