Environmental Threat of Soil Erosion in the Gwang Khola Watershed, Chure Region of Nepal

Basanta K. Neupane; Umesh K. Mandal; Ayad M. F. Al-Quraishi; Mehmet Ozdemir; Raju Rai

doi:10.46717/igj.56.1E.14ms-2023-5-24

Basanta K. Neupane Department of Geography, Patan Multiple Campus, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal: Nepal Geographical Society, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal (Orchid id: 0000-0001-9001-0162)
Umesh K. Mandal Nepal Geographical Society, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal (Orchid id: 0000-0001-9001-0162)
Ayad M. F. Al-Quraishi Petroleum and Mining Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Tishk International University, Erbil 44001, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. (Orchid id: 0000-0001-7732-129X)
Mehmet Ozdemir Dentistry Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Tishk International University, Erbil 44001, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
Raju Rai CNepal Geographical Society, Kathmandu 44600, Nepal (Orchid id: 0000-0001-9001-0162)

DOI: https://doi.org/10.46717/igj.56.1E.14ms-2023-5-24

Keywords: Soil erosion, Soil loss estimation, RUSLE, Gwang Khola watershed, Chure Region, Nepal

Abstract

Chure, also known as the foothills of the Himalayas that extends from east to west of Nepal, is an essential region due to the hotspot of biological diversity and various natural resources, including recharge groundwater for the Tarai region of the country. However, the Chure region has a high rate of soil erosion due to human activities and natural processes, a severe issue in the Chure region. This study looked at soil erosion in the Gwang Khola watershed in the Chure region. We used the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model to measure soil loss by soil erosion. The results showed that about 547,992.9 tons of soil were lost annually in the Gwang Khola watershed. The results indicated that 5,259.87 hectares of the land area were in a very low-risk zone for soil erosion. Similarly, 317.79 hectares of land had a moderate risk of soil degradation, while 13.59 hectares of forest area posed a high threat. The extreme-risk erosion area was situated above 1,250 m. In contrast, the moderate and the low-risk regions of soil erosion had a lower elevation range of 950 m to 1,250 m and 650 m to 950 m, respectively. The findings of this study may aid planners and policymakers in preventing soil erosion and protecting the ecosystem in this watershed and those with similar circumstances.

Author Biography

Ayad M. F. Al-Quraishi, Petroleum and Mining Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Tishk International University, Erbil 44001, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. (Orchid id: 0000-0001-7732-129X)

Dr. Ayad Al-Quraishi is a Professor of Applied Remote Sensing & GIS at the Petroleum and Mining Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Tishk International University, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq. He received his Ph.D. Eng. Degree in Geodetection and IT from the China University of Geosciences (CUG), China, in 2004. He published more than 60 papers, book chapters, books and served as a peer reviewer for more than 45 Inter/National Scientific Journals. He participated as a scientific committee member, keynote speaker, peer reviewer, and participant in more than 45 international conferences and symposiums. Dr. Al-Quraishi has more than 40 years of experience in university teaching, scientific research, and he supervised 26 postgraduate students in the Iraqi/International universities. Dr. Al-Quraishi was a Fulbright Visiting Scholar at Michigan State University (MSU), the United States, in 2011. His published paper on the drought in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region has been selected as one of the twenty best-published papers on the (World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought) in 2012. He has memberships of several international scientific professional organizations, such as IEEE (USA), AAG (USA), EGU (Germany), JpGU (Japan), ASPRS (USA), SPIE (USA), ISEIS (Canada), APCEES (China). He is a Guest Editor in "Remote Sensing" Journal of the MDPI, and Guest Editor, the Journal of Applied Remote Sensing, SPIE. Additionally, Dr. Al-Quraishi has been selected as the Ambassador in Iraq of the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (IEEE-GRSS) since 07/2016.