Abstract
Water erosion is one of the main causes of soil degradation around the world. In M orocco, In M orocco, the watersheds have very significant soil wastes, related to various physical and anthropic factors. The Oued Inaouene watershed is concerned because of its location in the eastern part of the Saïss basin, between the Middle Atlas and the Pre-Rif, where water erosion is more accentuated. This basin covers a total area of 3597.13 Km2 and it is marked by a semi-arid climate with relatively abundant (989.68 mm), irregular rainfall and strong anthropic pressure. This will have an impact of overexploiting natural resources in general and soils in particular. The excessive use of agricultural land has led to their fragility and aggravation of their susceptibility to erosion. These conditions, both natural and anthropic, have induced a rather intense erosive dynamic, which can be visible in its various forms, including gullying and landslides. The erosive dynamics leads progressively and certainly to impoverish the soils of the watershed and the silting of the dam Idris 1st located downstream of the Oued Inaouene, hence the interest of this study. The use of the “EPM” model for the estimation of soil losses approaches the severity of the erosive phenomenon. The average soil loss due to water erosion according to the model used is estimated at 53.34 t/ha/year. The maximum losses are about 597.642 t/ha/yr per plot. Total annual losses for the watershed are approximately 211084195 t/yr. Furthermore, the analysis of these results allowed, with the help of GIS, to determine the factors that control water erosion and which are, in order of importance: rainfall, slope, and soil sensitivity Soil protection. If anti-erosion measures aren’t adopted in the threatened parts of the watershed, this will have serious consequences for the dam and water quality .
Highlights
The natural environment of Morocco has undergone decades of significant degradation [9], related mainly to the development of populations and the pressure they have applied on natural resources
Accelerated water erosion is associated with excessive runoff caused by human activities, which destabilize and weaken the soil, overgrazing, clearing of forests for domestic purposes, and to expand agricultural areas, and inappropriate farming techniques that can cause economic and environmental damage
This study aims to use the method of potential erosion (EPM) integrated into a Geographic Information System (GIS) quantify and map the water erosion danger in the Oued Inaouene watershed
Summary
The natural environment of Morocco has undergone decades of significant degradation [9], related mainly to the development of populations and the pressure they have applied on natural resources. One of the aspects of this deterioration is the water erosion of soils, which has accelerated alarmingly It plays an important role in the planning and development of countries [3]. Because of the disastrous effects, the phenomenon of erosion presents a high interes t for the economic development of countries In this context, erosion modelling and mapping is a priority for managers to identify areas at risk and implement relevant solutions. The integration of available methods with the latest spatialization techniques such as remote sensing and geographic information systems have reduced financial expenses and save time for the realization of the mapping of hazards and subsequent targeted, rapid and effective intervention In this context, this study aims to use the method of potential erosion (EPM) integrated into a Geographic Information System (GIS) quantify and map the water erosion danger in the Oued Inaouene watershed
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