<p>Modelling floods, one of the most catastrophic events, is crucial for understanding their role in causing major casualties and environmental degradation, including soil loss. The present work evaluates the risk of flooding and flood-induced soil loss in the Luni River Basin, Rajasthan, by utilizing Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM), Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), and the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model, integrated with Google Earth Engine (GEE) and Geographic Information System (GIS). During the last 2 decades, the basin has experienced severe flooding as a consequence of extreme rainfall. Therefore, the major flood events of 2006, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2022 were selected for analyzing soil loss in the basin. RUSLE modelling shows significant soil loss in the eastern (Sirohi, Jalore), central (Balotra), and western (Barmer) regions, with very high erosion risks during the flood years of 2010, 2016, and 2017. However, recent years (2019, 2022) have shown a decline in high-risk areas. The flood susceptibility mapping reveals that 14.54% of the basin that covers the eastern, northeastern, and majority of southwestern Luni is highly prone to floods due to impermeable soils, dense infrastructure, and high rainfall intensity. The moderately susceptible areas (62.4%) cover the central, northern, southern, and extreme northern-eastern boundary of the Luni River Basin, while other parts of western Luni represent low and very low susceptibility areas, covering 0.02% and 23.04% of the total area, respectively. This research will provide valuable insights for managing flood hazards and implementing soil conservation strategies to protect ecosystems.</p>

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Assessing Flood-Induced Soil Loss and Vulnerability in the Luni River Basin: A GIS-MCDM, AHP, and RUSLE Integration

  • Hritika Deopa,
  • M. R. Resmi

摘要

Modelling floods, one of the most catastrophic events, is crucial for understanding their role in causing major casualties and environmental degradation, including soil loss. The present work evaluates the risk of flooding and flood-induced soil loss in the Luni River Basin, Rajasthan, by utilizing Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM), Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), and the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model, integrated with Google Earth Engine (GEE) and Geographic Information System (GIS). During the last 2 decades, the basin has experienced severe flooding as a consequence of extreme rainfall. Therefore, the major flood events of 2006, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2019, and 2022 were selected for analyzing soil loss in the basin. RUSLE modelling shows significant soil loss in the eastern (Sirohi, Jalore), central (Balotra), and western (Barmer) regions, with very high erosion risks during the flood years of 2010, 2016, and 2017. However, recent years (2019, 2022) have shown a decline in high-risk areas. The flood susceptibility mapping reveals that 14.54% of the basin that covers the eastern, northeastern, and majority of southwestern Luni is highly prone to floods due to impermeable soils, dense infrastructure, and high rainfall intensity. The moderately susceptible areas (62.4%) cover the central, northern, southern, and extreme northern-eastern boundary of the Luni River Basin, while other parts of western Luni represent low and very low susceptibility areas, covering 0.02% and 23.04% of the total area, respectively. This research will provide valuable insights for managing flood hazards and implementing soil conservation strategies to protect ecosystems.