Geospatial assessment of erosional behaviour of a watershed in Angara block of Ranchi district, Jharkhand

Soil erosion assessment was carried out in Dumar Kocha watershed of Ranchi district in Jharkhand state to understand the erosional behavior geospatially using Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). It was observed that average annual soil erosion for the watershed ranged from slight (<5 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹) to very severe (>80 t ha⁻¹ yr⁻¹). This was further observed that the watershed areas covered by slight, moderate, high, very high, severe and very severe erosion potential zones were 67, 12.42, 10.98, 3.82, 5.14 and 1.21% of the watershed, respectively. Spatial analysis using remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) indicated high soil erosion rates in central portion of the watershed, which could be attributed to the severe terrain modifications, inappropriate agricultural practices and forest degradations. Since the areas which are sensitive to soil loss could be demarcated, outcome of the study has the potential to serve as a valuable resource for better land management. Geoinformatics based analysis of erosion behavior in this region at watershed level can help manage natural resources better. Results thus obtained should further help in assessment of appropriate indicators to work upon for conserving water and soil through watershed management and land use planning.