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IAPRS & SIS, Vol.34, Part 7, “Resource and Environmental Monitoring”, Hyderabad, India, 2002 
  
SOIL RESOURCE APPRAISAL AND EROSION STUDIES IN NANDA-KHAIRI 
WATERSHED NEAR NAGPUR, MAHARASHTRA USING REMOTE SENSING AND GIS 
TECHNIQUES 
M. S. S. Nagaraju, Suhas Poddar, Rajeev Srivastava and R. K. Saxena 
Division of Remote Sensing Applications, National Bureau of Soil Survey and Land Use Planning, Amravati Road, Nagpur-440010, 
India- (nraju, rajeev, rksaxena) @nbsslup.mah.nic.in 
KEYWORDS: Soil characteristics, Soil erodibility, USLE, Soil conservation 
ABSTRACT: 
Geocoded false colour composites (FCC) of IRS-1C (LISS-III) data of two seasons (Kharif and Rabi) were visually interpreted in 
conjunction with Survey of India Toposheet (1:50,000 scale) and subsequently ground-truth observations were collected to derive 
spatial information related to existing land use/land cover, physiography and soils. Slope map was prepared using contour 
information available on Survey of India Toposheet on 1:50,000 scale. All these maps were digitized and processed under GIS 
environment using ILWIS 2.2 software. The maps of soil, slope and land use/land cover were reclassified to generate soil erodibility 
(K), slope length and steepness (LS) and crop management and conservation (CP) maps. These maps were integrated under GIS 
environment to compute the soil loss and generate soil erosion map. Physiographically, the area has been divided into six dominant 
physiographic unit viz. plateau/summits, escarpments, upper foot slope, lower foot slope, upper alluvial plain and lower alluvial 
plain. Based on physiography-soil relationship, seven soil series were identified and mapped as association of soil series. The land 
use/land cover study reveals ten land use classes viz. moderately dense forest, thin forest, degraded forest, single crop land, double 
crop land, fallow land, wasteland (with scrubs and without scrubs) habitation and streams/nala. Five slope classes viz. nearly level 
(0-1%), very gently sloping (1-3%), gently sloping (3-5%), moderately sloping (5-10%) and moderately steep (15-35%) sloping 
lands were identified in the area. The soil erosion map prepared by the integration of USLE factors revealed six soil erosion classes. 
Nearly 62 per cent area of the watershed is under slight erosion with soil loss of <5 t/ha/yr. The moderately slight erosion (5-10 
t/ha/yr) and moderate erosion (10-15 t/ha/yr) covers 28.1 and 0.4 per cent area of watershed. The area under moderately severe (15- 
20 t/halyr), very severe erosion (>40 t/ha/yr) classes cover nearly 6.5 and 1.0 per cent area, respectively. Based on erosion classes, 
appropriate conservation measures were suggested for proper watershed management. 
1. INTRODUCTION Keeping this in view, the present investigation has been 
planned to characterize and evaluate the land resources of 
Nanda-Khairi watershed in Nagpur district of Maharashtra for 
their susceptibility to soil erosion using remote sensing and GIS 
techniques with the objectives to prepare the physiography and 
land use/ land cover maps of the area using IRS-1C LISS-IIT 
data, to prepare slope map of the area using Survey of India 
Toposheet, to characterize, classify and map the soils occurring 
on different physiographic units and to prepare soil erosion map 
of the area using Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE). 
Soil, water and vegetation are the most important natural 
resources, which are so much interdependent that one can not 
be managed efficiently without the other two. Increasing 
competition for land to meet the requirements of rapidly 
growing population has resulted in over exploitation of natural 
resources leading to wide-spread damage to soil environment. 
Encroachment of forests and pasture lands and faulty 
management of cultivable lands not only poses an ecological 
problem but also aggravates the problem of soil erosion. The 
magnitude of soil erosion depends largely on various soil and 
terrain conditions especially physiography, vegetal cover, slope 
gradient and inherent physical and chemical properties of the 
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS 
soil. Spatial information on soil erosion and its severity is 2.1 Study Area 
essential for sustainable utilization of land resources and for 
formulation of proper management/conservation programmes. Geographically, the Nanda-Khairi watershed is located between 
Authentic or dependable estimates of the actual extent or 21°01" to 21°05" N latitude and 78°54" to 78°59" E longitude in 
severity of erosion is not easy to achieve for want of consistent Hingna tahsil of Nagpur district, Maharashtra. The area of the 
sets of ground measurements. It can be best accomplished watershed 2980.5 ha. The study area falls in the SOI Toposheet 
either by observing erosion generating processes like land-use No. 55 K/16. The physiographic features of the area have been 
changes (input monitoring), by extrapolating field evolved from the basaltic flows under paleoclimatic succession. 
measurements from experimental plots (process monitoring), or Physiographically, Nanda-Khairi watershed Covers 
by observing sediment transport in rivers and sedimentation in plateau/summits, escarpment, upper foot slope, lower foot 
reservoir (output monitoring). The rapid evolution in satellite slope, upper alluvial plain and lower alluvial plain. The general 
remote sensing and Geographical information System (GIS)  cjevation in the area varies from 280 to 420 m above the mean 
have made possible the development of new techniques for sea level (MSL). The area is mainly drained by Nanda and 
facilitating the mapping of degraded/eroded lands (Skidmore ef Khairi nalas and their tributaries. The climate of the area is 
al. 1997). sub-tropical, dry subhumid and with well expressed summers 
(March to May), rainy season (June to October) and winter 
725