Soil Erosion Risk Mapping in the Arpa River Basin Using RUSLE Integrated with GIS and Remote Sensing

Soil erosion jeopardizes agricultural production and the sustainability of watersheds, especially in sensitive river basins, and thus it is important to accurately measure and monitor erosion. The spatial processes of soil loss in the Arpa River Basin, Chhattisgarh State, India, were mapped in this study using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) in a Geographic Information System (GIS), in combination with satellite and Remote Sensing data. The variables required for RUSLE, which include rainfall erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), slope length and steepness (LS), cover-management (C), and conservation-practice (P), were compiled from multiple data sources into ESRI ArcGIS, and then an erosion area map-vector layer was produced. The soil erosion map between the classes of erosion risk included: slight (<10 t/(ha yr)), moderate (10–20 t/(ha yr)), high (20–30 t/(ha yr)), very high (30–40 t/(ha yr)), severe (>40 t/(ha yr)), where it was noted that severe soil erosion primarily occurred within cultivated areas that were steep. The classification of the soil erosion level was verified by field points, for an accuracy of 86 percent, and a Kappa coefficient value of 0.75, indicating reasonable reliability. The results of this study showed spatiotemporal variability in soil loss, therefore further necessitating the need to develop and use site-specific soil conservation tactics and watershed sustainability management plans for the Arpa River Basin.