RESEARCH ARTICLE AN INTEGRATED APPROACH FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STUDIES ON SOIL EROSION IN VAMSADHARA RIVER BASIN, INDIA.

The environmental impact studies on floods of Vamsadhara river basin have been attempted utilizing remote sensing, geotechnical, geomorphological, hydrometeorological and sedimentation data. Various thematic maps on vegetation/crop cover, soils, slope and rainfall are superposed to demarcate the probable areas, prone to erosion. The study reveals that the area with sparse vegetation and shifting cultivation coupled with heavy rainfall in the steep slopes has been subjected to the removal of the fine fertile top soil through runoff, resulting in sedimentation and silting up of the river course in the lower reach of the Vamsadhara river basin. The increase in the flood frequency in the recent years (1980-2010) may be due to the environmental degradation brought about to the vegetation/crop cover practices in the catchment area.