Application of revised universal soil loss equation model for assessment of soil erosion and prioritization of ravine infested sub basins of a semi-arid river system in India

Soil is an integral part of Earth’s ecosystem. Topographic and climatic factors play an important role in influencing the complex process of soil erosion. Lithological formation, elevation, slope steepness, soil texture, land-use and land-cover constitute the primary topographic factors and rainfall constitutes the major climatic factor. Soil erosion in India's semiarid regions results in soil fertility loss as well as a slew of other significant environmental consequences, posing a threat to the region's long-term agricultural production and river health. Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) and Geographic Information System (GIS) constitute a very successful technique to assess soil erosion. The present study assessed soil erosion, specific sediment yield and quantified the yearly rate of soil loss in the ravine infested Kunwari River basin, a part of the Yamuna-Chambal Badlands region, India. RUSLE model, integrated with geospatial techniques is useful for soil loss estimation, prioritization of sub basins and their implications on land use in this ravine infested area. Rainfall, soil, satellite imagery, and DEM data derived the model factors. The annual estimated soil loss varied from 0 to 176.9 42 t ha−1 year−1 with a total annual soil loss of 4,260,929.52 t year−1 and a mean soil loss of 6.42 t ha−1 year−1 from the entire catchment. The result shows the annual average sediment yield is 1.22 t ha−1 year−1 and the total volume of the sediment yield for Kunwari basin is 8,09,576.61 t year−1. Since the bulk of the area has rugged and dissected, the topographical factors play a major role in the results which shows higher rates of soil erosion. The result of sub-basin prioritization indicates that sub-basin Sb 5, Sb 8 and Sb 9 are found to be under the high priority zone. The findings of the study based on RUSLE and GIS offer a precise appraisal of soil loss, identifying the priority areas which can be helpful in designing and executing effected policies for sustainable soil management practice to prevent soil erosion.