Impact of Water Ecosystem on Soil Erosion: A Sub-Watershed Analysis in Shahzad River Watershed, Lalitpur, India, Using Geospatial Science
摘要
The interaction among the dynamic processes of the ecosystem affects the existing natural resources including soil and water in the system. Soil erosion, a form of land degradation, has a destructive effect on agricultural activities. The erosion is not only caused by anthropogenic activities; physio-chemical factors like slope, elevation, climate, and soil chemistry are equally important. The morphometric analysis is a reliable methodology for prioritizing the watershed for the erosion risk; thus, the same methodology is utilized to prioritize the Shahzad River watershed in India. Based upon the compound values (Cp) determined by the morphometric parameters using GIScience, the sub-watershed was classified as very-high, high, medium, low, and very-low priority classes. The initial ranking was allocated to linear, areal, and relief parameters considering their inverse and direct impact on soil erosion. Compound values (Cp) of sub-watersheds were determined by averaging the rank of individual matrices. Thus, on the basis of Cp value, priority rank and priority category in the watershed were allotted. The study revealed that SW6, SW7, SW24, SW26, and SW29 fall under a very high priority; SW4, SW8, SW23, SW25, SW28, SW30, and SW31 fall under high priority. SW1, SW2, SW5, SW9, SW10, SW11, SW12, SW17, SW19, and SW22 were categorized into medium priority and SW13, SW15, SW18, SW20, SW21, and SW27 were assigned low. The very low priority was given to SW3, SW14, and SW16. In-depth observation of the values indicates the watershed SW26 is the most susceptible to soil erosion. The study calls the stakeholders and decision-makers to implement strategies like plantation drives in hilly regions and the construction of check dams to reduce the risk of soil erosion.