Prioritizing sub-watersheds for soil erosion using geospatial techniques based on morphometric and hypsometric analysis: a case study of the Indian Wyra River basin

Abstract

The hydrological availability and scarcity of water can be affected by geomorphological processes occurring within a watershed. Hence, it is crucial to perform a quantitative evaluation of the watershed’s geometry to determine the impact of such processes on its hydrology. Geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing (RS) techniques have become increasingly significant because they enable decision-makers and strategists to make accurate and efficient decisions. To prioritize sub-watersheds within the Wyra watershed, this research employs two methods: morphometric analysis and hypsometric analysis. The watershed was divided into eleven sub-watersheds (SWs). The prioritization of sub-watersheds in the Wyra watershed involved assessing several morphometric parameters, such as relief, linear, and areal features, for each sub-watershed. Furthermore, the importance of the sub-watersheds was determined by computing hypsometric integral (HI) values using the elevation–relief ratio method. The final prioritization of sub-watersheds based on morphometric analysis was determined through the integration of principal component analysis (PCA) and weighted sum approach (WSA). SW2 and SW9 have had higher priorities using morphometric analysis, whereas SW6, SW7, and SW10 have obtained higher priorities using hypsometric analysis. SW4 is the most common SW that shares the same priority. The most vulnerable sub-watersheds are those with the highest priority, and therefore, programmes for soil and water conservation should pay more attention to them. The conclusions of the study may prove useful to various stakeholders involved in initiatives related to watershed development and management.

Analysis of Factors Influencing Spatial Distribution of Soil Erosion under Diverse Subwatershed Based on Geospatial Perspective: A Case Study at Citarum Watershed, West Java, Indonesia

“…For example, in the upper and middle Citarum watersheds, combining vegetation management (FVC) with other factors may reduce soil erosion significantly. In the downstream region, the interaction of climate (PRE) with other factors is crucial, indicating the importance of climate-sensitive erosion control measures [ 79 , 80 ].…”

“…Tailored erosion control strategies should be developed for each subwatershed, focusing on the factors with the greatest infuence in those areas. For instance, upstream and middle subwatersheds may require more emphasis on vegetation and climate management, while downstream areas should prioritize climate-related interventions [79][80][81].…”

Quantitative Morphometric Analysis and Prioritization of Sub-Watersheds for Soil Erosion Susceptibility: A Comparison between Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process and Compound Parameter Analysis Method

“…(Ratna Reddy et al 2017;Choudhari et al 2018). Therefore, to tackle water-related problems, heightened attention should be allocated to watershed management (Shekar et al 2023;Gautam et al 2023).…”

Morphometric and Hypsometric Analyses in Prioritizing Sub‑watersheds of Drought-prone Barind Tract, NW Bangladesh: Statistical and Geospatial Tools for Soil Conservation Study

“…Now-a-days the prioritization of soil erosion of watersheds based on morphometric features etc. have drown serious attention by a number of researchers Mathew, 2023a, 2023b;Abdo et al, 2023;Mathew and Shekar, 2023;Lopez-Perez and Fernandez-Reynoso, 2021).…”