comparative analysis of the soil erosion in hill basins (sasaus and mislea)

The present study focuses on soil surface erosion a nd applying the Universal Soil Loss Equation with GIS techniques of spatial analysis on an area of two river basins. The erosion and the processes associated with it are studied with the help of digital terrain data and the USLE and RUSLE models are successfully applied within the ar ea. Soil surface erosion occurs when detachable soils on sufficiently steep slopes are exposed to o verland flow and/or the impact of rainfall. The Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) predicts th e long term average annual rate of erosion on a field slope based on rainfall pattern, soil type, topography, crop system and management practices but does not however predict th e soil loss resulting from gully erosion. Five major factors are used to calculate the soil l oss for a given site. Each factor is the numerical estimation of a specific condition that affects the severity of soil erosion at a particular location