Integrated Analytical
Hierarchy Process (AHP) and GIS techniques based Soil Erosion Susceptibility Mapping
in Chite Watershed, Mizoram, India
Lalrindika PC., Zonunsanga R. and Rinawma P.
Disaster Advances; Vol. 17(3); 25-34;
doi: https://doi.org/10.25303/173da025034; (2024)
Abstract
Soil erosion is a significant form of land degradation that profoundly affects agricultural
and ecosystem sustainability. The present study aimed at addressing this issue by
developing precise and feasible erosion susceptibility map in Chite watershed, India,
using integrated approach combining the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) with
Geographic Information System (GIS). To evaluate erosion susceptibility conditions,
multiple causative factors including elevation, slope, drainage density, distance
from streams, land use / land cover, rainfall intensity, normalized difference vegetation
index, lithology, soil texture and lineament density were selected. These factors
and their sub-classes were prioritized by AHP method based on their relative influence
on soil erosion.
Subsequently, the calculated AHP weights were utilized for generating a spatial
dataset of soil erosion susceptibility through GIS technology. Accuracy assessment
by the area under the ROC curve (AUC) reveals considerably acceptable results for
the predicted map when compared to erosion inventory, producing an accuracy level
of 0.812 (81%) and 0.922 (92%) for erosion and non-erosion points respectively.
Thus, the present study manifests the efficiency of integrating the AHP and GIS
techniques for erosion susceptibility mapping in the Chite watershed and this may
serve as a valuable tool for sustainable land management and erosion control.
