Assessment of soil loss estimation and prioritization of sub-watershed using the RUSLE model: A case study of Jiadhal watershed, Assam (India)

Soil loss is a common issue of land degradation all over the world. To appraise the issues of management, planning and policy making for any watershed area, Geospatial technology is a well-established tool. The objective of the present study is to evaluate the quantity of annual soil loss in the Jiadhal watershed of Assam and prioritization of sub-watersheds according to soil loss severity. For soil loss estimation, RUSLE model has been used to calculate five parameters; rainfall erosivity (R), length slope factor (LS), Soil erodibility factor (K), Vegetation Cover (C) and erosion control factor (P). To calculate various parameters, annual rainfall data, digital elevation model (DEM), land use classification map, soil maps etc. data were collected from various departments of India and satellite images were collected from authentic websites. QGIS 2.18 and Google Earth Engine tools were used to estimate the annual soil loss quantity and land use land cover maps of the research area. The annual soil loss quantity is calculated in units of tons/ha. /year and the outcomes are calculated under three categories of prioritization as per the soil loss severity. Study also recommends few points for instant measurements of soil erosion in the studied area.