SUCCESS STORY TERRACING SYSTEM to rescue a school in Lalibela

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SUCCESS STORY TKWB
Technique: TERRACING SYSTEM to rescue a school in Lalibela
Project: the rescue of Lalibela Primary school
Site: Lalibela, ETHIOPIA

LOCATION

Continent: Africa
Country: Ethiopia
Site: Lalibela
Coordinates:
12.03
39.04

BRIEF INTRODUCTION

Lalibela is one of the most remarkable hypogean monuments in the world. It is universally celebrated for its highly decorated monolithic churches hewn out of basaltic rock. The most imposing monuments date from twelfth and thirteenth centuries, when King Lalibela, from whom the city takes its name, called for it to be hewn out of the rock in the image of a Celestial Jerusalem.

PROBLEMS, CAUSES AND EFFECTS

The geological and geomorphological survey conducted on the hillside in front of the Lalibela Primary School showed a general deterioration of areas exposed to the northeast and northwest. This phenomenon was due to a lack of regimentation of surface water and to a shallow sliding of land in areas having a western exposure. This in turn was due to erosion at the foot of the slope, which caused niches of detached soil to deepen.

SOLUTIONS/PROJECT DESCRIPTION

To stem the erosion, secure the area and restore its environmental properties, the hillside has been restored using traditional terraces that break the gradient of the slope. These terraces have been replanted with original species typical of the region, such as junipers, pines and sycamores. The vegetation is now luxuriant.

CONCLUSIONS

The project has permitted the rescue of a school in the new part of the village, which was destined to slip because of the deforestation of the slopes on which it stands. The Ipogea team and local staff have introduced thousands of plants indigenous to the area, reinforcing the slope and effectively creating a small forest well suited to the extreme climate of the Ethiopian highlands.

IMAGES

TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUE DATA

Technique
TERRACING SYSTEM to rescue a school in Lalibela
Icon
Cathegory
D - Soil and environment protection
Identification code
D5
 
Other success stories of the technique

RELATED TECHNIQUES

Author:
IPOGEA
Reference:
DeepeningDownload PDF