An Estimation of Soil Erosion in Gandamanur Watershed Using Geospatial Technology

Soil erosion is one of the critical environmental problems and a major threat to many natural resources. Stream bank erosion is a kind of water erosion, in which soil is removed by the runoff flowing over the sides of the stream coming from the areas or by undercutting of soil below the water surface from the stream section. Quantitative analysis of soil loss and description of erosion prone areas are essential for conservation programme. The present study focuses on estimation of soil erosion in Gandamanur watershed of Theni District. The soil loss values estimated for Gandamanur watershed ranges from 0 to 219.7 ton/ hec /yr with an average of 2.53 t/ha/yr (metric ton per hectare per year). High soil erosion found in steep slopes and streams. Integrated Remote sensing and GIS technology is applied for prepare various thematic layers of Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) which is used to estimate the soil erosion at watershed level.