Remote Sensing and GIS-Based Spatial Planning of Soil and Water Conservation Measures in a Semi-Arid Watershed Maliwadgaon of Maharashtra, India
Prasannajit D. Gangurde
*
Department of Soil and Water Conservation Engineering, CAET, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani–431402, Maharashtra, India.
Sanjay N. Pawar
Department of Agricultural Engineering, COA, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani–431402, Maharashtra, India.
Madan S. Pendke
Department of Soil and Water Conservation Engineering, CAET, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani–431402, Maharashtra, India.
Anilkumar M. Kamble
Department of Soil and Water Conservation Engineering, CAET, Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth, Parbhani–431402, Maharashtra, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Site-specific planning of water harvesting and soil and water conservation (SWC) measures is important for improving water availability and watershed resilience in semi-arid regions. This study aimed to identify and prioritise suitable locations for SWC structures in the 43 km² Maliwadgaon watershed of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, Maharashtra, India, using an integrated remote sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) approach. A 30 m Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model and Landsat-8 imagery were used to derive terrain, drainage, land use/land cover (LULC), and vegetation characteristics. Elevation, slope, drainage density, stream order, dissection index, LULC, and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) were integrated through multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) for site-suitability assessment. The watershed has an elevation range of approximately 509–591 m and a dendritic, fourth-order drainage network with a drainage density of 0.991 km/km². The MCE identified 40 potential conservation structures: 13 farm ponds, 13 cement nala bunds, 5 percolation tanks, 4 underground barriers, and 5 gully plugs. The proposed locations provide a spatial basis for runoff interception, erosion control, water storage, groundwater recharge, and agricultural water management. The findings demonstrate the practical utility of RS–GIS-based MCE as a decision-support approach for prioritising site-specific SWC interventions in a semi-arid watershed.
Keywords: Remote sensing, GIS, multi-criteria evaluation, water harvesting, watershed management, SRTM DEM, Landsat-8, LULC, NDVI, soil and water conservation