Prioritization of Susceptible Watershed to Sediment Yield and Evaluation of Best Management Practice: A Case Study of Awata River, Southern Ethiopia

Soil erosion is currently a global problem that causes land degradation and long-lasting challenges in Ethiopia. Sediment yield is influenced by the watershed characteristics such as land cover, soil class, and slope, which are considered the drivers of soil erosion in the basin. The middle Awata wa...

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Main Authors: Temesgen Kefay, Tolera Abdisa, Bekan Chelkeba Tumsa
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2022-01-01
Series:Applied and Environmental Soil Science
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/1460945
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author Temesgen Kefay
Tolera Abdisa
Bekan Chelkeba Tumsa
author_facet Temesgen Kefay
Tolera Abdisa
Bekan Chelkeba Tumsa
author_sort Temesgen Kefay
collection DOAJ
description Soil erosion is currently a global problem that causes land degradation and long-lasting challenges in Ethiopia. Sediment yield is influenced by the watershed characteristics such as land cover, soil class, and slope, which are considered the drivers of soil erosion in the basin. The middle Awata watershed is highly susceptible to soil erosion due to its topographical features. This study is therefore aimed at estimating sediment yield, examining its spatial distribution, and evaluating the selected Best Management Practices (BMPs) to reduce soil erosion-prone areas at downstream. The model simulation was done by dividing the total watershed area of 1912 km2 into 37 subbasins and 294 hydrologic response units (HRUs) for 31 years (1988–2018). The model’s uncertainty evaluation was carried out on monthly basis using the Sequential Uncertainty Fitting (SUFI-2) algorithm. The performance of the model was evaluated by statistical parameters that gave R2 = 0.76, NSE = 0.75, RSR = 0.51, and PBIAS = 5.6% for calibration and R2 = 0.75, NSE = 0.74, RSR = 0.51, and PBIAS = 2.7% for validation of streamflow. Meanwhile, sediment yield in the watershed was also simulated with R2 = 0.69, NES = 0.66, RSR = 0.58, and PBIAS = 3.7% for calibration and R2 = 0.67, NES = 0.65, RSR = 0.61, and PBIAS = 5.6% for validation of sediment distribution. The simulated annual average sediment yield was 34.543 × 103 ton/year at the outlet of the middle Awata watershed. The developed spatial distribution of sediment yield identified the first twelve upstream subwatersheds as being soil erosion-prone areas. Following an evaluation of the four selected BMPs, it was determined that parallel terracing is the most recommended method for soil erosion reduction option in all critical subbasins found in the watershed.
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spelling doaj-art-ebef0c3d290a4baf827b8fa8ddef87782025-02-03T01:08:47ZengWileyApplied and Environmental Soil Science1687-76752022-01-01202210.1155/2022/1460945Prioritization of Susceptible Watershed to Sediment Yield and Evaluation of Best Management Practice: A Case Study of Awata River, Southern EthiopiaTemesgen Kefay0Tolera Abdisa1Bekan Chelkeba Tumsa2School of Hydraulic and Water Resources EngineeringFaculty of Civil and Environmental EngineeringFaculty of Civil and Environmental EngineeringSoil erosion is currently a global problem that causes land degradation and long-lasting challenges in Ethiopia. Sediment yield is influenced by the watershed characteristics such as land cover, soil class, and slope, which are considered the drivers of soil erosion in the basin. The middle Awata watershed is highly susceptible to soil erosion due to its topographical features. This study is therefore aimed at estimating sediment yield, examining its spatial distribution, and evaluating the selected Best Management Practices (BMPs) to reduce soil erosion-prone areas at downstream. The model simulation was done by dividing the total watershed area of 1912 km2 into 37 subbasins and 294 hydrologic response units (HRUs) for 31 years (1988–2018). The model’s uncertainty evaluation was carried out on monthly basis using the Sequential Uncertainty Fitting (SUFI-2) algorithm. The performance of the model was evaluated by statistical parameters that gave R2 = 0.76, NSE = 0.75, RSR = 0.51, and PBIAS = 5.6% for calibration and R2 = 0.75, NSE = 0.74, RSR = 0.51, and PBIAS = 2.7% for validation of streamflow. Meanwhile, sediment yield in the watershed was also simulated with R2 = 0.69, NES = 0.66, RSR = 0.58, and PBIAS = 3.7% for calibration and R2 = 0.67, NES = 0.65, RSR = 0.61, and PBIAS = 5.6% for validation of sediment distribution. The simulated annual average sediment yield was 34.543 × 103 ton/year at the outlet of the middle Awata watershed. The developed spatial distribution of sediment yield identified the first twelve upstream subwatersheds as being soil erosion-prone areas. Following an evaluation of the four selected BMPs, it was determined that parallel terracing is the most recommended method for soil erosion reduction option in all critical subbasins found in the watershed.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/1460945
spellingShingle Temesgen Kefay
Tolera Abdisa
Bekan Chelkeba Tumsa
Prioritization of Susceptible Watershed to Sediment Yield and Evaluation of Best Management Practice: A Case Study of Awata River, Southern Ethiopia
Applied and Environmental Soil Science
title Prioritization of Susceptible Watershed to Sediment Yield and Evaluation of Best Management Practice: A Case Study of Awata River, Southern Ethiopia
title_full Prioritization of Susceptible Watershed to Sediment Yield and Evaluation of Best Management Practice: A Case Study of Awata River, Southern Ethiopia
title_fullStr Prioritization of Susceptible Watershed to Sediment Yield and Evaluation of Best Management Practice: A Case Study of Awata River, Southern Ethiopia
title_full_unstemmed Prioritization of Susceptible Watershed to Sediment Yield and Evaluation of Best Management Practice: A Case Study of Awata River, Southern Ethiopia
title_short Prioritization of Susceptible Watershed to Sediment Yield and Evaluation of Best Management Practice: A Case Study of Awata River, Southern Ethiopia
title_sort prioritization of susceptible watershed to sediment yield and evaluation of best management practice a case study of awata river southern ethiopia
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2022/1460945
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AT toleraabdisa prioritizationofsusceptiblewatershedtosedimentyieldandevaluationofbestmanagementpracticeacasestudyofawatariversouthernethiopia
AT bekanchelkebatumsa prioritizationofsusceptiblewatershedtosedimentyieldandevaluationofbestmanagementpracticeacasestudyofawatariversouthernethiopia