In collaboration with Iranian Watershed Management Association

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Soil Conservation and Watershed Management Rese arch Institute, Agricultural Research, ‎Education and ‎Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Soil Conservation and Watershed Management Research Institute, Agricultural Research, ‎Education and ‎Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran

3 Scientific Board, Soil Conservation and Watershed Management Research Institute, Agricultural Research, ‎Education and ‎Extension Organization (AREEO), Tehran, Iran

Abstract

The study performed to determine the relationship between landslide and increasing sediment load in Latian dam watershed. Sediment yield of six sub-basins were estimated with by two methods of MPSIAC and hydrometric station . More than 150 landslides were mapped by ETM+ and Google Earth image processing. Comparing the observed data with MPSIAC output in Lavasanat and Kond-Afjeh sub-catchments, it became clear that Lavasanat has less sediment yield. But, despite of this subject, observed sediment yield in Lavasanat hydrometric station is about two times in Kond–Afjeh, while the landslides area in Lavasanat and Kond–Afjeh sub-basins are 1.8 and 0.7 percent of the area. Based on the estimated sediment yield of MPSIAC model, the weighted average of specific sediment yield for Kond-Afjeh and Garmabdar sub–basins with landslide area of 0.7 and 2.4 percent are 387.02 and 431.39 m3km-2y-1 respectively, which means that increasing the relative percentage of landslide area from 0.7 to 2.4 percent, specific sediment yield increases by 11.5 percent. Based on data analysis in Roodak hydrometric station in Jajrood basin, average sediment discharge of the river in the first nine months of 1383 before Hajyabad landslide was 6.17 tons per day that increased to an average of 16.9 tons per day at nine months after landslide. This amount is equivalent to 170 percent increasing of sediment load in nine months after mentioned event. The interesting point is that this increasing of sediment yield was in the period of about 30% decrease in water debit . This means that not only increasing sediment yield of the river is not related to the water debit, but also, about 30% reduction of water debit is should reduce sediment yield. So, regarding to the area of 20.45 ha of Hajabad landslide zone, each hectare of landslide area could increase more than 8% of the sediment load in the river.

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