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International Conference on

Recent Trends in Environmental Sustainability

ESCON22/CDMP/03
Estimating and modeling soil erosion within Panjkora River basin using revised
universal soil loss equation (RUSLE), GIS and remote sensing techniques

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Uzair Ahmad* , Fazli Amin Khalil , Zahid Khan , Abid Sarwar
1 Centre of GIS University of the Punjab Lahore, Pakistan
2 Department of Electronics University of Peshawar, Pakistan
3 Department of Geomatic & Geography University of Peshawar, Pakistan
4 Agriculture Department Govt of KP Peshawar, Pakistan
Correspondence: uzairahmedsparc770@gmail.com
Abstract

Soil erosion and land degradation are the major problems faced by landowners throughout the
world. These problems have extremely negative impact on the soil structure and its fertility.
To identify its impact on agriculture practices in the target area and to minimize its effects, a
research study has been conducted. The study is located in Northern dry mountains and some
part in Northern irrigated planes of Pakistan, ranging from latitudes 34°0'0"N to 35°56'0"N and
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longitudes 70°59'0"E and 72°47'0"E, which cover an area of 16750 km . Moreover, the
proposed study is conducted in Panjkora river basin, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, along
with focus on river Panjkora (a tributary of river Swat). Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation
(RUSLE) and Geo-informatics techniques have been implemented to analyze the data gathered.
The results reveal that R factor value comprised between 38.83 and 111.86 MJ mm/ Ha/h/year,
with the highest values in the northern-western part of the basin and the lowest values being in
the South-eastern part. The Topographic Factor (LS) for the entire basin value ranged from
1.34 to 31.206. Furthermore, the Steep cultivated hillsides are separated by groove-shaped
valleys and contribute significantly to sediment yields in Panjkora River Basin. The study
concludes that erosion is found higher nearby Riverbank which reveals that excessive erosion
is caused by water, which further makes a huge loss to productivity in the area while people
living in that area relay majorly on agriculture. It is recommended that an effective management
strategy is necessary, like terracing and stream bank stabilization to reduce erosion in the area
and enhance the agricultural production which is the main source of income in study area.
Keywords: GIS; Remote sensing; Revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE).

Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS University Islamabad, Vehari Campus

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