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Assessment of Potential Land Degradation in Akarsa Watershed, West Bengal, Using GIS and Multi-influencing Factor Technique

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Gully Erosion Studies from India and Surrounding Regions

Part of the book series: Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation ((ASTI))

Abstract

Land degradation and gully erosion are the very common and acute geo-environmental problems at the western part of West Bengal. The Akarsa watershed, which is a part of the Dwarakeswar river basin and also a part of Chotanagpur plateau, is highly vulnerable to land degradation. Here, rill and gully erosions are key functions of the land degradation process. In this chapter, delineation of potential land degradation zone (PLDZ) has been mapped by using remote sensing data and geographical information system (GIS) based on multi-influencing factor (MIF) technique for Akarsa watershed in West Bengal. It has been accomplished by integrating and analyzing different thematic maps. The degraded areas were delineated using visual interpretation techniques. Rankings and weights were assigned to each influencing factor for calculating statistically by the multi-influencing factor (MIF) technique. Finally, delineation of the potential land degradation zone (PLDZ) map is executed and classified into five degradation zones, viz., very low 13.74% (47.54 km2), low 27.52% (95.21 km2), moderate 38.15% (132.55 km2), high 16.18% (56.25 km2), and very high 4.41% (15.24 km2). Then, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve is applied for validation of the methodology used in this work. The result of AUC (area under the curve) is very good indicating an accuracy of (0.828) 82%. The outcome of this PLDZ can be helpful in land conservation planning and strategy formulation for management in the Akarsa watershed.

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported by the UGC (University Grants Commission), and thanks to Amit Bera and Nabin Adhikari for their valuable concepts. The authors are also thankful to USGS, CGWB, GSI, NBSS & LUP, and IMD.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Cooch Behar Panchanan Barma University, Cooch Behar, West Bengal, India

    Ujjal Senapati

  2. Department of Geography, Cooch Behar College, Cooch Behar, West Bengal, India

    Tapan Kumar Das

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  1. Ujjal Senapati
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geography, Raja N. L. Khan Women’s College (Autonomous), Medinipur, West Bengal, India

    Pravat Kumar Shit

  2. Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Engineering, College of Agriculture, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran

    Hamid Reza Pourghasemi

  3. Aarvee Associates Architects, Engineers & Consultants Pvt. Ltd, Hyderabad, India

    Gouri Sankar Bhunia

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Senapati, U., Das, T.K. (2020). Assessment of Potential Land Degradation in Akarsa Watershed, West Bengal, Using GIS and Multi-influencing Factor Technique. In: Shit, P., Pourghasemi, H., Bhunia, G. (eds) Gully Erosion Studies from India and Surrounding Regions. Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23243-6_11

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