Estimation of soil erosion using RUSLE and GIS techniques: a case study of Barakar River basin, Jharkhand, India

Biswas, Sumantra Sarathi; Pani, Padmini

doi:10.1007/s40808-015-0040-3

Cited by 120 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…Therefore, in our study a constant ( y ) of 0.5 was used in Equation (4) due to the mean slope of 30% observed for the Nyabarongo River Catchment. The ASTER GDEM was chosen to be used in this study due to its finer spatial resolution that closely matches that of the Geo-referenced Landsat images and at comparable accuracies [29,53] and it was found to be reliable for LS factor generation [44]. Accuracies for this global product were estimated with 20 m at 95% confidence for vertical data and 30 m at 95% confidence in horizontal data [54].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

USLE-Based Assessment of Soil Erosion by Water in the Nyabarongo River Catchment, Rwanda

Karamage

Zhang

Kayiranga

et al. 2016

IJERPH

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Soil erosion has become a serious problem in recent decades due to unhalted trends of unsustainable land use practices. Assessment of soil erosion is a prominent tool in planning and conservation of soil and water resource ecosystems. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) was applied to Nyabarongo River Catchment that drains about 8413.75 km2 (33%) of the total Rwanda coverage and a small part of the Southern Uganda (about 64.50 km2) using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing technologies. The estimated total annual actual soil loss was approximately estimated at 409 million tons with a mean erosion rate of 490 t·ha−1·y−1 (i.e., 32.67 mm·y−1). The cropland that occupied 74.85% of the total catchment presented a mean erosion rate of 618 t·ha−1·y−1 (i.e., 41.20 mm·y−1) and was responsible for 95.8% of total annual soil loss. Emergency soil erosion control is required with a priority accorded to cropland area of 173,244 ha, which is extremely exposed to actual soil erosion rate of 2222 t·ha−1·y−1 (i.e., 148.13 mm·y−1) and contributed to 96.2% of the total extreme soil loss in the catchment. According to this study, terracing cultivation method could reduce the current erosion rate in cropland areas by about 78%. Therefore, the present study suggests the catchment management by constructing check dams, terracing, agroforestry and reforestation of highly exposed areas as suitable measures for erosion and water pollution control within the Nyabarongo River Catchment and in other regions facing the same problems.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

USLE-Based Assessment of Soil Erosion by Water in the Nyabarongo River Catchment, Rwanda

Karamage

Zhang

Kayiranga

et al. 2016

IJERPH

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“…The P factor represents the significant impacts of various conservation practices on soil erosion [48]. The P factor is dependent on the slope and the cultivation method, such as terracing (Table 2) [49].…”

Section: Support Practice (P) Factormentioning

confidence: 99%

Extent of Cropland and Related Soil Erosion Risk in Rwanda

et al. 2016

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Land conversion to cropland is one of the major causes of severe soil erosion in Africa. This study assesses the current cropland extent and the related soil erosion risk in Rwanda, a country that experienced the most rapid population growth and cropland expansion in Africa over the last decade. The land cover land use (LCLU) map of Rwanda in 2015 was developed using Landsat-8 imagery. Based on the obtained LCLU map and the spatial datasets of precipitation, soil properties and elevation, the soil erosion rate of Rwanda was assessed at 30-m spatial resolution, using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model. According to the results, the mean soil erosion rate was 250 t¨ha´1¨a´1 over the entire country, with a total soil loss rate of approximately 595 million tons per year. The mean soil erosion rate over cropland, which occupied 56% of the national land area, was estimated at 421 t¨ha´1¨a´1 and was responsible for about 95% of the national soil loss. About 24% of the croplands in Rwanda had a soil erosion rate larger than 300 t¨ha´1¨a´1, indicating their unsuitability for cultivation. With a mean soil erosion rate of 1642 t¨ha´1¨a´1, these unsuitable croplands were responsible for 90% of the national soil loss. Most of the unsuitable croplands are distributed in the Congo Nile Ridge, Volcanic Range mountain areas in the west and the Buberuka highlands in the north, regions characterized by steep slopes (>30%) and strong rainfall. Soil conservation practices, such as the terracing cultivation method, are paramount to preserve the soil. According to our assessment, terracing alone could reduce the mean cropland soil erosion rate and the national soil loss by 79% and 75%, respectively. After terracing, only a small proportion of 7.6% of the current croplands would still be exposed to extreme soil erosion with a rate >300 t¨ha´1¨a´1. These irremediable cropland areas should be returned to mountain forest to foster environmental sustainability or further sustainable alternative erosion control techniques may be applied, such as applying Vetiver Eco-engineering Technology due to its economical soil erosion control and stabilization of steep slopes and the construction of erosion control dams to absorb and break down excess runoff from unusually intense storms in various parts of the watersheds.

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“…Because extensive measurement of soil erosion is expensive and time consuming [19], erosion models that make use of secondary data available in a geographic information system (GIS) can offer a useful alternative. Data on climate, soils, topography, and land cover are derived from the existing secondary data sources [27][28][29].…”

Section: Parameterisation Of the Usle Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Because extensive measurement of soil erosion is expensive and time consuming [19], erosion models that make use of secondary data available in a geographic information system (GIS) can offer Rainfall erosivity factor (R) has significant impacts on soil erosion due to its contribution to about 80% of soil loss [30,31]. The R factor is usually calculated as an average of kinetic energy intensity (EI) values estimated over 20 years to accommodate apparent cyclical rainfall patterns [26,32,33].…”

Section: Parameterisation Of the Usle Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Deforestation Effects on Soil Erosion in the Lake Kivu Basin, D.R. Congo-Rwanda

Karamage

Shao

Chen

et al. 2016

Forests

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Deforestation and natural grassland conversion to agricultural land use constitute a major threat to soil and water conservation. This study aimed at assessing the status of land cover and land use (LCLU) in the Lake Kivu basin, and its related impacts in terms of soil erosion by water using the Universal Soil Erosion Equation (USLE) model. The results indicated that the Lake Kivu basin is exposed to soil erosion risk with a mean annual rate of 30 t·ha −1 , and only 33% of the total non-water area is associated with a tolerable soil loss (≤10 t·ha −1 ·year −1 ). Due to both natural factors (abundant tropical precipitation and steep slopes) and anthropogenic activities without prior appropriate conservation practices, all land-use types-namely settlement, cropland, forestland, and grassland-are exposed to a severe mean erosion rate of 41 t·ha −1 ·year −1 , 31 t·ha −1 ·year −1 , 28 t·ha −1 ·year −1 , and 20 t·ha −1 ·year −1 , respectively. The cropland that occupied 74% of the non-water area in 2015 was the major contributor (75%) to the total annual soil loss in the Lake Kivu basin. This study showed that conservation practices in the cropland cells would result in a mean erosion rate of 7 t·ha −1 ·year −1 , 18 t·ha −1 ·year −1 , and 35 t·ha −1 ·year −1 for terracing, strip-cropping, and contouring, respectively. The adoption of terracing would be the best conservation practice, among others, that could reduce soil erosion in cropland areas up to about 23%. The erosion risk minimization in forests and grasslands implies an increase in overstorey canopy and understorey vegetation, and control of human activities such as fires, mining, soil compaction from domestic animals grazing, and so on. Soil erosion control in settled areas suggests, among other things, the revegetation of construction sites, establishment of outlet channels, rainfall water harvesting systems, and pervious paving block with grass.

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Estimation of soil erosion using RUSLE and GIS techniques: a case study of Barakar River basin, Jharkhand, India

Cited by 120 publications

References 31 publications

USLE-Based Assessment of Soil Erosion by Water in the Nyabarongo River Catchment, Rwanda

USLE-Based Assessment of Soil Erosion by Water in the Nyabarongo River Catchment, Rwanda

Extent of Cropland and Related Soil Erosion Risk in Rwanda

Deforestation Effects on Soil Erosion in the Lake Kivu Basin, D.R. Congo-Rwanda

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