Integrated Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and Geospatial Approach to Assess Soil Erosion in Machhu Sub-watershed, Morbi, India

Abstract

Abstract Soil erosion is a severe and rapidly rising issue in many parts of the world due to human activities such as farming practices, land excavation for development and deforestation. Moreover, it can negatively impact water availability, agricultural growth, and ultimately, countries’ long-term economy. A quantitative and consistent land degradation assessment is vital for proper planning of soil conservation activities in a catchment or watershed. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) model is applied in this study to address the issue of soil erosion in the Machhu-sub watershed (24769.63 ha), located in Saurashtra, India. The landscape feature of the study area includes basalt type rock and water body. In this USLE model study we have used input parameters such as rainfall erosivity (R), soil erosivity (K), cover management (C), slope length and steepness (LS), and conservation practice (P) integrated with Geographical Information System (GIS) to analyze and obtain the estimated annual soil loss. Results indicated that the overall soil loss in the study area can be classified into five categories: Very Low (0-1), Low (1-3), Low moderate (3-5), Moderate (5-10), and High ( >10 tons/ha/year). The finding includes the overall soil potential loss of the Machhu sub-watershed is 14.90 tons/ha/year. Furthermore, 60.86 % of the agricultural area is affected by soil erosion. Therefore, the necessary soil conservation methods can be planned in the Machu-sub watershed area based on the USLE analysis. These findings may assist researchers, scientists, and policymakers in building a concrete strategy for sustainable development of not only study area but other catchments also.