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Soil Erosion Spatial Prediction Using RUSLE and Geospatial Technologies in Gwang Khola Watershed of the Chure Region, Nepal

Basanta Kumar Neupane

Soil loss due to human activities as well as natural processes has been a major issue in the Chure region in Nepal. Significant tons of soil loss every year affects farmer's agricultural output and productivity. In this regard, for effective management of the sediments, soil loss estimation is extremely important. This research was meant to evaluate soil losses using Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model. The findings revealed that an estimated 547992.9 tons of soil were lost from the Gwang Khola watershed and the total annual erosion of soil of the study region amounts to 5.46 tons. In the gentle slope area, the marginal soil loss was noticed while in the steep slope the high loss was observed. In Gwang Khola watershed, 84.88% of its area is under negligible risk class, 13.13% in moderately risk, and only 1.99% area is under extremely high-risk class. The soil loss rate varies upon Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) and all land use types contain all categories of risk, albeit in different proportions. The results are useful for basin sediment control and associated policies.