Impact of Land Use Land Cover on erosion in the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir (India)

Soil erosion is a complex and natural phenomenon that occurs when productive surface soil is detached by physical forces such as water and wind, exposing subsurface soil and causing sedimentation in reservoirs. It is influenced by a variety of factors, including topographic slope location, vegetation and soil composition, all of which have a significant impact on the erosional activity of soil. Globally, soil erosion is a serious issue. Human activities are responsible for the degradation of 1,964.4 million hectares (Mha) of land worldwide. Water erosion affects 1,903 Mha of this area, while wind erosion affects 548.3 Mha. Water erosion has been identified as the primary driver of land degradation caused by anthropogenic activities over 1094 million hectares of land worldwide, or 56% of the total. For various reasons, India loses roughly 5334 m-tones of soil year. Compared to 29% in the rest of the nation, 35.86% of Jammu and Kashmir's (J&K) total area is affected by land degradation (ISRO, 2016). The UTs of J&K and Ladakh lose 20 tons of soil per hectare per year, which is significantly more than the 16.35 t/ha/year national average (SWCD J&K, 2016). Water availability and erosion are intimately related, particularly when it comes to crop growth and productivity. The elements that contribute to soil erosion are topography, porosity/permeability, soil cover, soil texture, and soil structure. Problem quantification has recently been seen as a pressing necessity to create acceptable and effective methods to reduce the deterioration of valuable land