GIS-BASED SOIL EROSION STUDY FOR WATERSHED MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Rapid growth in population and technical progress are giving rise to industrialization and urbanization, which ultimately result in deterioration, destruction and intoxication of the soil and environment. Therefore, attention should be given to its rational use. The soil erosion facilitates the loss of land surface and its fertility, consequently, shortage of food, fuel and timber for man-kind and fodder for the cattle. Besides it, the eroded land also increases the choking of the reservoir being a good source of the sediment. The aims of this dissertation work named as "GIS based Soil Erosion Study for Watershed Management" are to create the data base of the Song River catchment which falls in the Doon valley in the state of Uttaranchal, and to develop of a soil erosion intensity map using Modified Universal Soil Loss Equation with the aid of remotely sensed data in a GIS environment, in order to prioritize the watershed with respect to soil erosion intensity. The land conservation measures are also recommended on the agriculture practice, so as to reduce the soil erosion intensity to a tolerable limit. For future studies, it has been suggested that the parameters influencing the soil erosion can be also studied through extensive field experiment so that their individual effect is taken into account for making suitable and more effective recommendations for soil conservation/ management.