Abstract
The Hassan II dam, located in the eastern part of Morocco in the Upper Moulouya, serves as the primary water supply system for drinking water and irrigation of agricultural lands in the surrounding areas. Yet, considering the imminent challenge posed by climate change, this hydraulic infrastructure faces environmental sustainability challenge due to sedimentation caused by soil degradation in its upstream entering. Therefore, monitoring soil loss, identifying the sediment origins with the vulnerable areas under high risk of erosion have become critical for decision-makers to choose wisely effective conservation strategies that promote sustainable land management, water mitigation and provide protection to Hassan II dam from siltation and improve its lifespan. This study evaluates the spatial distribution of soil loss and sediment yield in the Upper Moulouya watershed using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) combined with a geographic information system (GIS). By integrating the main factors controlling soil erosion, such as topography, vegetation cover, soil proprieties, and climate, the maps of soil erosion and sediment yield were achieved. The results showed that the mean annual soil loss was 10.82 t/ha/y with an annual erosion amount of 3.46 million tons, highlighting a hazardous rate of erosion potential that could rapidly silt the Hassan II dam. In total, 45.14% of the watershed surface experienced soil erosion less than 5 t/ha/y, while 21.38% endured high to severe risk of soil loss. Areas characterized by steeper slopes and limited vegetation cover experienced elevated levels of soil degradation. The sediment yield using the delivery ratio was identified to be 5.56 t/ha/y, which was lower than the bathymetric value of 12.32 t/ha/y. The difference of 7 t/ha/y between these values may be attributed to the fact that a part of these sediments was not retained in the Upper basin but instead continued downstream to the hydraulic infrastructure of the Hassan II dam. The results undeniably assisted in pinpointing key areas where conservation practices should be implemented, ensuring the sustainability of the Hassan II dam situated downstream in the Upper Moulouya catchment.
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Data availability
The Land use/Land cover dataset is available from ESA-CCI at https://esa-worldcover.org/en, SRTM DEM with 30 m resolution is available in https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/, global soil map is available in ISRIC Data Hub.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Centre for Scientific and Technical Research (CNRST, Morocco), Programme de soutien aux projets de recherche et de développement technologique dans les domaines prioritaires (PPR).
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Soukaina Oudchaira did the modeling, the mapping and prepared the manuscript under the supervision of Ali Rhoujjati and Moulay Lâarabi EL Hachimi. Ali Rhoujjati, Lahoucine Hanich and Moulay Lâarabi EL Hachimi provided suggestions and carried out some reviewing. All the authors agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
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Oudchaira, S., Rhoujjati, A., Hanich, L. et al. Evaluating soil loss and sediment yield for sustainable management of the Hassan II dam within Morocco’s Upper Moulouya watershed using RUSLE model and GIS. Environ Earth Sci 83, 210 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-024-11518-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-024-11518-0