Identification of Zones at Risk of Soil Erosion by the Combination of Geospatial Techniques & AHP in the North Koel Region: A Case of the Danro Watershed, Jharkhand

Erosion, a natural phenomenon whose effects are exacerbated by human activity, is a significant environmental concern in the Danro River watershed, a tributary of the North Koel River in the Garhwa district of Jharkhand. The major objective of the present study was the characterization of soil erosion processes using remote sensing and GIS techniques and the AHP (Analytical Hierarchy Process) method. The factors considered were elevation, slope, drainage density, land use and land cover (LULC), soil type, geomorphology, geology, rainfall, NDVI, and lineament density of the study region. The findings suggest there is a significant risk of soil erosion in the Danro Watershed since the three erosional classifications depicted high-risk zones account for more than 32% of the study area, followed by moderate risk zones at 53.21%. The results illustrated that the differences in erosion in the northeast and southeast region are due to the differential characteristics of the vegetation and density of the human population. In summary, the Danro watershed is found to be prone to moderate and very high soil erosion processes, and if this trend of LULC transformation is continuing then more severe soil erosion is expected in the near future.