GIS-Based Modelling for Evaluating Soil Erosion Patterns in Ravine-Affected Regions of the Yamuna River, India

Abstract

Soil erosion poses a significant environmental challenge, particularly in ravine-affected areas where high-intensity rainfall leads to substantial soil loss, resulting in declining soil fertility and the conversion of productive agricultural land into wasteland. The present study focuses on estimating the rate of soil erosion in one of the severely ravine-affected lands along the Yamuna River and examines changes in soil erosion rates over the years. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) Model was employed using various soil erosion estimation parameters in the ArcGIS 10.5 platform. Different quantitative datasets, including rainfall data, soil data, digital elevation model, and satellite images from the LANDSAT to the SENTINEL series, were utilized to calculate soil erosion parameters. The study analyzed soil erosion rates for six different years: 1974, 1994, 2000, 2010, 2016, and 2020. Results indicated that 1974 exhibited the highest rate of soil erosion, while 2020 showed the lowest. The rates of soil erosion continued to decrease, except in the year 2000, when there was a slight increase in the soil erosion rate, probably due to inadequate agricultural practices on levelled ravine lands. The study observed that ravine land levelling emerged as an effective way to prevent erosion; however, its long-term sustainability is a major concern. Along the banks of the Yamuna River, ravine/gully land exhibited consistently high rates of soil erosion, although the rate of soil erosion has changed over the years. The study observed that an increase in vegetation cover has a positive impact on reducing soil erosion rates in the highly dissected ravine affected areas. The investigation of this research may help policymakers and local agricultural communities to manage ravine land more effectively.