Identifying Most Suitable Priority Areas for Soil-Water Conservation Using Coupling Mechanism in Guwahati Urban Watershed

EasyChair Preprint 9438

Abstract

Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to create a priority model for sub-watershed basin based on nineteen morphometric parameters. We then quantified the soil erosion using the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE) for current and future scenarios based on the representative concentration pathway (RCP) 2.6 and 8.5 models (RCP2.6 and 8.5). In addition, we proposed the fuzzy logic and analytical hierarchy process (AHP) model-based soil-water conservation suitability (SWPC) model for current and future scenarios. Finally, the most suitable soil-water conservation areas for current and future scenarios were identified using coupling coordination degree model (CCD). To the author’s knowledge, this is the first in-depth study that identifies the most suitable conservation areas by analyzing the watershed prioritization, soil erosion, and topographic, hydrologic, land cover, and climatic parameters-based soil-water conservation suitability models. Sub-watersheds comprising Silsako, Bharalu, Deepor Beel, and North Guwahati have been identified as high-priority sub-watersheds. According to the current RUSLE model, soil erosion in the study area varies from 140 to 181.64 tonnes per hectare per year. In contrast, soil erosion would continue to increase in the future as per the RCP8.5 model, which varies from 305 to 332 tonnes per hectare per year. The current SWPC model predicted 46.92 km² area as high and 54.40 km² area as very high suitable zones. However, under the RCP 2.6 and RCP 8.5 models, the high and very high SWPC zones will experience extended areas in the future due to increased soil erosion intensity.

Keyphrases: Artificial Intelligence, Fuzzy Logic, Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation, Soft Computing, Watershed priority zone, coupling mechanism, soil conservation, soil erosion

@booklet{EasyChair:9438,
  author    = {Ishita Afreen Ahmed and Swapan Talukdar and Mohd Waseem Naikoo and A Shahfahad and Ayesha Parvez and Swades Pal and Shakeel Ahmed and Atiqur Rahman and Abu Reza Md Towfiqul Islam and Amir Mosavi},
  title     = {Identifying Most Suitable Priority Areas for Soil-Water Conservation Using Coupling Mechanism in Guwahati Urban Watershed},
  howpublished = {EasyChair Preprint 9438},
  year      = {EasyChair, 2022}}