Potential Soil Loss Estimation and Erosion-Prone Area Prioritization Using RUSLE, GIS, and Remote Sensing in Chereti Watershed, Northeastern Ethiopia

Soil erosion by water is the major form of land degradation in Chereti watershed, Northeastern Ethiopia. This problem is exacerbated by high rainfall after a long period of dry seasons, undulating topography, intensive cultivation, and lack of proper soil and water conservation measures. Hence, this study aimed to estimate the 23 years (1995-2018) average soil erosion rate of the watershed and to identify and prioritize erosion-vulnerable subwatersheds for conservation planning. The integration of the revised universal soil loss equation (RUSLE), geographic information system, and remote sensing was applied to estimate the long-term soil loss of the watershed. The RUSLE factors such as rainfall erosivity (R), soil erodibility (K), topography (LS), cover and management (C), and support and conservation practices (P) factors were computed and overlayed to estimate the soil loss. The result showed that the annual soil loss rate of the watershed ranged up to 187.47 t ha−1 year−1 in steep slope areas with a mean annual soil loss of 38.7 t ha−1 year−1, and the entire watershed lost a total of about 487 057.7 tons of soil annually. About 57.9% of the annual watershed soil loss was generated from 5 subwatersheds which need prior intervention for the planning and implementation of soil conservation measures. The integrated use of RUSLE with GIS and remote sensing was found to be indispensable, less costly, and effective for the estimation of soil erosion, and prioritization of vulnerable subwatersheds for conservation planning.