Journal ID : AMA-29-08-2021-10663
[This article belongs to Volume - 52, Issue - 01]
Total View : 337

Title : Estimation of LULC wise Soil Erosion by MMF Model with GIS Based Approach for Nongpoh Watershed

Abstract :

Land use and land cover (LULC) is the primary determinant in sustainable management of soils. Understanding and quantifying the effect of LULC on the soil erosion process in a high rainfall area will immensely help in controlling as well as reversing degradation. In a gauged watershed, total sediment yield is measured at the outlet. Whereas in an ungagged watershed, there is a need to rely on models for estimating soil erosion. Models are found to be capable of estimating erosion within the watershed based on land use and land cover particularly those physically based models along with Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System (RS & GIS) tools. The objective of this study is to prioritize the critical erosion hazard areas within the micro watershed based on land use/land cover and annual soil loss. Modified Morgan-Morgan-Finney (MMF) model was used to estimate soil loss with the input parameters extracted from satellite image (IRS-LISS-IV) and Automatic Weather Stations for the Nongpoh watershed. The annual average soil erosion by the MMF model was estimated at 55.30 t ha-1 yr-1. The soil erosion was found to be highest in the agriculture- dominated area (79.10 t ha-1 yr-1) followed by scrubland (62.67 t ha-1 yr-1). It shows that the study area came under severe erosion class, whereas agricultural land, open forest area, and scrubland were prioritized as the most erosion-prone areas within the watershed. These findings will help the management committee for making suitable planning and also will aid in implementing this method in the hilly and mountainous regions in the world.

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