Effects of Landscape Changes on Soil Erosion in the Built Environment: Application of Geospatial-Based RUSLE Technique

Bilal Aslam, Ahsen Maqsoom, Shahzaib, Zaheer Abbas Kazmi, Mahmoud Sodangi, Fahad Anwar, Muhammad Hassan Bakri, Rana Faisal Tufail and Danish Farooq
Additional contact information
Bilal Aslam: Department of Earth Sciences, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad 45320, Pakistan
Ahsen Maqsoom: Department of Civil Engineering, COMSATS University Islamabad, Wah Campus 47040, Pakistan
Shahzaib: Department of Civil Engineering, COMSATS University Islamabad, Wah Campus 47040, Pakistan
Zaheer Abbas Kazmi: Department of Civil & Construction Engineering, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
Mahmoud Sodangi: Department of Civil & Construction Engineering, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
Fahad Anwar: Department of Civil & Construction Engineering, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
Muhammad Hassan Bakri: Department of Civil & Construction Engineering, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam 31441, Saudi Arabia
Rana Faisal Tufail: Department of Civil Engineering, COMSATS University Islamabad, Wah Campus 47040, Pakistan
Danish Farooq: Department of Transport Technology and Economics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Stoczek u. 2, H-1111 Budapest, Hungary

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 15, 1-20

Abstract: The world’s ecosystem is severely affected by the increase in the rate of soil erosion and sediment transport in the built environment and agricultural lands. Land use land cover changes (LULCC) are considered as the most significant cause of sediment transport. This study aims to estimate the effect of LULCC on soil erosion potential in the past 20 years (2000–2020) by using Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model based on Geographic Information System (GIS). Different factors were analyzed to study the effect of each factor including R factor, K factor, LS factor, and land cover factor on the erosion process. Maps generated in the study show the changes in the severity of soil loss in the Chitral district of Pakistan. It was found out that 4% of the area was under very high erosion risk in the year 2000 which increased to 8% in the year 2020. An increase in agricultural land (4%) was observed in the last 20 years which shows that human activities largely affected the study area. The outcomes of this study will help the stakeholders and regulatory decision makers to control deforestation and take other necessary actions to minimize the rate of soil erosion. Such an efficient planning will also be helpful to reduce the sedimentation in the reservoir of hydraulic dam(s) constructed on Chitral river, which drains through this watershed.

Keywords: sediment transport; soil erosion; RUSLE (Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation model); human activities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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