RUSLE and SDR Model Based Sediment Yield Assessment in a GIS and Remote Sensing Environment: A Case Study of Koga Watershed, Upper Blue Nile Basin, Ethiopia

Soil erosion and the subsequent sedimentation are the major watershed problems in Ethiopia. Removal of top fertile soil, siltation of Koga irrigation reservoir, clogging of irrigation canal by sediment and reduction of irrigated land are the major threat of Koga watershed. Hence, this study was attempted to assess and map the spatial distribution of sediment yield of Koga watershed in a GIS and remote sensing environment. Sediment yield is dependent on factors of soil erosion such as rainfall erosivity, soil erodibilty, land use land cover (C and P) and topography (LS) and sediment delivery ratio of the drainage basin to the total amount of sediment yield by sheet and channel erosion. RUSLE framed with GIS and Remote sensing technique was therefore employed to assess the amount of soil loss existed in KW. Main stream channel slope based sediment delivery ratio analysis was also carried out. Soil map (1:250,000), Aster DEM (30 × 30 m), Thematic Mapper (TM) image (30 m × 30 m) of the year 2013, thirteen years (2000-2013) rainfall records from four rain gauge stations and topographic map (1:50,000) were the major data used. The estimated mean annual SY delivered to the out let of KW was found to be 25 t ha-1year-1. Most critical sediment source areas are situated in the steepest upper part of the watershed due to very high computed soil loss and sediment delivery ratio in this part. It could be therefore difficult to attain the intended goal of Koga irrigation reservoir positioned at lower part of the watershed. Sustainable land management practices have to be conducted in the upper part of the watershed by taking each stream order as a management unit to increase the storage capacity, and/or lessen the transportation capacity of the watershed. Proper drainage construction and stream bank stabilization via vegetative cover have to widely implement to safely dispose the eroded sediment.