Theme 6-13-Estimation of runoff and sediment yield under different land uses in Bundelkhand region.

Abstract

Information on runoff and sediment yield is pre-requisite, in design criteria for most of the structures on streams, reservoirs and in soil and water conservation . An attempt was made to estimate the runoff and sediment yield in catchments under different land use in Bundelkhand region. Process involved the actual measurement in controlled experimental catchment by gauging them under different land use systems and applying a process based model to asses the impact of different land uses. The analysis revealed that the agricultural watershed on the normal cultivation slope range of 1-2% yielded 19% runoff, forest watershed area, which exists mostly on hills with undulating terrain was found to yield about 12% of runoff. However, a fully protected forest on the hilly terrain at an average slope of 10% could hardly produce 2% runoff. The watershed under grasses and mixed land use produced the runoff between these two limits. The results very clearly proved the dominance of land use over other characteristics of the watersheds. Similar trend was observed in case of sediment yield which directly adhered to runoff behaviour. The process-based model applied on this data could also respond well to the effects of land use on runoff and sediment yield.