Abstract:
Watershed is a geo-hydrological unit draining at a common point by system of streams.
Remote sensing and GIS has gained much recognition as environmental resources
management tools for data collation and analysis of any region and to arrive at optimum
solutions for various problems. Using participatory watershed development planning, one
can arrive at decision on what to do with the land and what measures are required for
sustained and profitable use of the land. It is with this understanding that a study was
conducted to participatory watershed development planning using remote sensing and GIS
techniques. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data on watershed in the study
area. Household demographic character, institutional and physical factors were collected
from key informant, Focus Group Discussion (FGD) interview, field observation and
selected household interview using structured questionnaires. Simplified formulas reviewed
by Yamane (1967) were used to fix sample size of household. Stratified random sampling
techniques were employed to select 108 sample households out of 228 total household in
the watershed. Four slope and three soil depth ranges were considered and soil texture was
determined by standard hydrometer method. Land sat 7 ETM image was used to assess the
land use/land cover categories. The 30 m spatial resolution DEM was used to generate
slope classes. Slope analysis revealed that gradient is almost flat, gentle slope, sloping and
moderately steep in all land uses. The soil was found to be deep in farm land and
settlement areas, moderately deep in grazing land and shallow in forest land. The texture
analysis revealed that the soils of all land uses are coarse in texture. Land use
classification were three land use classes representing forest, grazing land and farm land
and settlement The land capability classification showed that the watershed encompasses
three land capability classes, classes IV, VI and VIII. The part of the watershed under
class IV land is suitable for annual crops, class VI land was suitable for grazing or
perennial crops and class VIII land was not suitable for agriculture. Assessment of
Buchame watershed showed that the conservation measures that were proposed for the
watershed part under class IV are soil or stone bunds, fanyajuu, check dam, grassland
improvement, controlled grazing and conversion of some part to forest land. Conversion of
the class VI land in to grassland or forest land or establish perennial crops and use of
class VI cannot be used for annual cropping and cutoff drain and waterways were
proposed. However no measure was proposed for the class VIII land except protection of
x
natural forest through area closure. From the GIS based watershed development planning
one can conclude that integrated watershed development plan can be prepared by
considering land capability classification and it is key for community based watershed
development for sustainable and productive use of the land resource.
