RECLAMATION OF SWAMPY AREAS TO SUPPORT TRANSMIGRATION PROGRAMME IN SOUTH SUMATRA (INDONESIA

Abstract

Reclamation of swampy areas is complicated by the fact that the source of the excess water, charac-teristics of the soil and topography of the areas are the three main factors which influence its success. The excess water may come from precipitation, river flooding, seepage from adjoining area or combi-nation of these sources. The characteristics of soil in the command area play an important role in determi-nation of the type of drainage systems that will be adopted, and obviously the characteristics of the soil will determine the type of crops that can be grown and will also influence the type of drainage systems that can be chosen. The topography of the area is another important factor in reclamation of a land. In the sloping area the type of drainage system is not so complicated as in flat area. In flat area a common problem is that there is no sufficient head available to drain the excess water to the outlet. freely. Hence the excess water will remain stagnant in the lowest part of the area. A basic knowledge of these three factors would be useful for understanding the method of reclamation that should be adopted for a particular area...