Integrated Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System Based RUSLE Modelling for Estimation of Soil Loss in Western Himalaya, India

Soil loss due to water erosion was estimated in Kangra region of western Himalaya using revised universal soil loss equation modelling (RUSLE) in conjunction with Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The various parameters such as rainfall erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), topographic factor (LS), crop management factor (C) and support practice factor (P) were derived using standard techniques. The study revealed that forest cover, crop land and scrub/grass land constitute 87.4 % of soil erosion susceptible area. The rate of depletion of soil was estimated at 25.63 t/ha/yr. It was highest in stony/barren land (60.3 t/ha/yr) and lowest in case of tea garden (16.09 t/ha/yr). It was felt that there is a need of implementation of soil and water conservation measures in the region to curb the soil loss. The undulating nature of terrain was observed as the main contributing factor for soil erosion. It was concluded that RS and GIS based RUSLE model can be efficiently used in mountainous regions to determine the status and extent of soil erosion. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014