LAUSR

In general, agricultural intensification and human intervention lead to the soil erosion problem. Remarkably, marginal alluvial plains of vast Indo-Gangetic plain consistently suffer a great peril of land degradation in and around the Yamuna-Chambal valley. This is probably due to the geologic evolution of the landscape. Geomorphology and the land forms developed in and around the studied countryside themselves indicate the erosional processes. However, quantification of erosion rates and mapping of most intense erosion areas in and around Agra, Firozabad and Etawah district of Uttar Pradesh have been carried out using geospatial technology. A Geographic Information System (GIS)-based Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) model was used to analyse grid cell–based erosion rates by incorporating all the crucial factors, i.e. rainfall, slope, soil, length slope, cover management and practice management factors. An average annual soil loss rate of 445 t ha−1 year−1 was observed in the study area. Moreover, the intensity-based categorization reveals that 64% area is at high erosion risk. The Google Earth imagery along with Triangular Irregular Network (TIN) model presents the erosion-associated features and slope gradient of the Yamuna River watershed further validates the results obtained in the present study.