SOIL MAPPING AND HYDROLOGIC SOIL CLASSIFICATION OF A PART Of NARMADA (AKHMENT AROUND NARMADA SAGAR, USING REMOTELY SENSED DATA

Abstract

A detailed knowledge of soils with regard to their na-ture, extent and limitations, hydrologic soil group including its land use and topography is a prerequisite before any water-shed planning and management programme of an area is taken up. Soil maps, at scale 1:250,000, are a necessity for future planning and development of natural resources of an area. Landsat.imagery has been a valuable and pzulific source of remotely sensed data about earth resources due to its broad synoptic coverage, low cost and availability in multiband and multidate, while the conventional methods are costly, time consuming and laborious. A part of Narmada River catchment covering Dhar, Indore and Khargon. districts of Madhya Pradesh.in India has been selec-ted for the present study.It receive,s about 700 mm to 900 mm of rainfall every year and experiences tropical monsoon climate. Visual interpretation methods were used in this study. Soil profiles can not be seen directly on Landsat imagery;however, soil landscapes are interpretable. Survey of India topographical contoured maps have also been consulted as ancillary data. Soil landscapes boundaries were identified and delineated with the help of drainage map, slope analysis map, and landuse map, as prepared from the Landsat imagery of bands 5 and 7. Landuse map `established a strong correlation with the soils of Physiographic subdivisions. Field verification was also done for checking the accuracy of the type of soils delineated in various physiographic units. Aerial photographs, at approximate scale of 1:50,000 of a part of study area, were also interpreted visually to compare the soil map ( scale 1:253,440) as prepared from Landsat imagery, }idrologiä soil classification was also carried out, depending upon their infiltration capacity, permeability and clay content etc. From the results ±t as concluded that major portion of study area is covered by soils of order aitiisolsf Inceptisols with hydrologic soil group B and C and Vertisois( Typic hro-rnusterts, fine) of hydrologic soil group D. Hydrologic soil. group A is very rare, and is of the soil order, Entisols, on very steep hill side slopes. The present study Carl be extended further fOr the study of large scale soil mapping, soil erosion, terrace cultIvation, afforestation, irrigation potential,, and alignment of roads, canals etc., Using mulU-teporal. Landsat imagerleg and false colour composites of the area at 1:2,50y0001 scale.,