Sediment and nutrient loading from non-degraded and degraded watershed area in to a tropical water body: a case study using remote sensing

Abstract

The present study deals with the works relating to integrated watershed management on sustainable basis for evolving tractable operational package so that nutrient, sediment and runoff losses from catchment could be minimized. Study area lies between latitudes 22°5' and 22°12' and longitudes 77°17' and 77°23' covering an area of 6357.5 hectares. Physically it is divided into two different parts, hills and plains. The height of elevation of study area is in between 518 to 630 meters above m.s.l. The thematic maps were generated using satellite data. The present tropical catchment possessing diverse forest ecosystem and agriculture land characterized by weathered black cotton soil derived from basalt with the slope ranging from nearly level to moderately steep to steep sloping and receiving average annual rainfall 1150 mm. The annual return of carbon and nutrient (N, P, K, Ca, Na and Mg) in non degraded and degraded forest and nutrient concentrations in runoff flow and sediment output (sediment loss) during monsoon period from non-degraded forest, degraded forest and agriculture lands were worked out. The sediment and nutrient losses from the catchment to the tropical water body are alarming particularly from agricultural land. The nutrient losses in both the forms (runoff water plus sediment movement) are in the order of agriculture > degraded forest > non-degraded forest. The loss of soil in the form of sediment loss follows the same pattern. The results were alarming when the value of sediment loss of forest was compared to the agriculture land of the catchment. The soil loss as sediment is 33.5 times greater in agriculture land compared to non-degraded forest and 10.2 times greater in agriculture land compared to degraded forest.