Land Degradation Mapping in Singhanhalli-Bogur Micro-watershed in Northern Transition Zone of Karnataka through Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques.

ABSTRACT

The study was undertaken to identify and map areas affected by various land degradation through remote sensing and GIS techniques. The study revealed that the major process of land degradation is water erosion. Three types of water erosion, namely sheet, rill and gully erosion were prevalent in different land forms. Sheet erosion accounted for 77.2 %, rill erosion 6.7 % and gully erosion 16.2 % of the study area. The lowlands, majority of which area was under agriculture land use, was observed to be sheet eroded with severity ranging from slight to severe which was attributed t o overcutting of vegetation, overgrazing and agricultural activities. Rill erosion was prevalent in undulating midlands under agriculture and open scrub land uses, whereas gully erosion occurred in agriculture and open scrub lands. The moderately degraded lands were observed in all land uses but they were more prominent in agriculture lands on moderate slopes. The severely degraded lands were observed on moderate-to-steep slopes in undulating midlands and uplands. The adoption of soil and water conservation measures was recommended for improve soil productivity and sustaining agricultural production at higher levels. In addition, watershed programmes should be undertaken considering the summarized priority for land treatment.