Assessment of land management practices impact on soil and water resources using swat model: a case of bara micro-watershed of ken catchment, Madhya pradesh, India

Abstract

Soil and water are some of the most precious natural resources. However, due to unplanned land use and land management practices, these resources are being lost at a devastating rate. This study aims to provide cadastral level land management strategies that will help to conserve the soil and water resources. The area selected for the study was Bara village, Shivpuri district in Madhya Pradesh, India. Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to analyze the impact of present land use on soil loss and surface runoff. Various land management strategies were simulated, however, the final strategies were prioritized after the discussion with the village community. Finally, SWAT scenario was used to calculate the surface runoff and soil loss which was used to compare the impact between the prioritized land management strategies and the present land use. The results of the study reveal that prioritized land management strategies would significantly decrease the soil loss and surface water runoff by 86.7 and 29.02%, respectively. The analysis also shows that the prioritized interventions would help to increase the aquifer recharge by 62.45%. The methodology from this study can be used to strategize land management planning for larger watershed across India.