No abstract

In this research paper, morphometric analysis and prioritization were carried out for upper Patiala-Ki-Rao catchment lying on Shivalik hills of SAS Nagar district of Punjab and Panchkula district of Haryana state, India. Morphometric parameters were classified into three categories such as linear, areal and relief aspects. Remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) was used to quantify these morphometric parameters along with hypsometric and erosion integrals to understand watershed characteristics. Soil, slope, and land use thematic layers were prepared and with the help of GIS overlay technique, erosion vulnerable areas were identified based on priority by using analytical hierarchical process (AHP) proposed by Saaty (1980). These thematic layers were assigned weightage and ranks were assigned to the categories within it on the basis of relative susceptibility to soil erosion. Based on the present study, the selected watershed was finally classified into high, medium and low priority areas susceptible to erosion. The results of the present study are useful to decision-maker for planning relevant soil conservation techniques according to the severity of erosion.

In this research paper runoff induced soil erosion and its impact on the quality of water of upper Patiala-Ki-Rao catchment located on Shivalik hills of Punjab and Haryana states of India were quantified. The selected ungauged basin is divided into two sub-watersheds and there are four gauged micro-watersheds nested within it. The simultaneous calibration is carried out for selected ungauged watershed, sub-watersheds and four gauged micro-watersheds to simulate the discharge and soil loss using Arc-SWAT and remote sensing. The model is first validated for four gauged micro-watersheds and then the predicted discharge and soil loss was validated for selected ungauged watershed and two sub-watersheds using a regionalization approach to make sure that the model was representing the watershed as a whole. The results of statistical analysis after thorough manual calibration and validation predicts that the SWAT model can satisfactorily simulate stream-flow and sediment yield for the upper Patiala-Ki-Rao watershed. In addition, water samples were collected for each runoff producing rain event during monsoon season for two years to access the impact of soil loss on the quality of water.

In this study, an attempt has been made to evaluate the best management practices (BMPs) in poorly degraded and economically fragile watershed area in Shivalik hills, Northern India. A scenario-based approach has been followed to evaluate the existing BMPs and a few hypothetically implemented BMPs based on SWAT modeling. A regionalization approach was adopted for calibrating the SWAT model for ungauged micro-watersheds within the study area. After successful calibration, soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) model was simulated for several BMPs that are in practice such as Check dams, vegetation and fencing so as to learn about their effectiveness in controlling sediment and nutrient yield. Other hypothetically installed BMPs, such as contouring, terracing, grassed waterways and filter strips were also evaluated in untreated micro and sub-watersheds. The cost–benefit analysis of these hypothetical BMPs revealed that the average reduction in nutrients was maximum for grassed waterways and minimum for terracing. Overall, the scenario-based analysis revealed that conservation practices, in the otherwise degraded watershed, can prove to be beneficial for sustainability of its natural resources.