—A Geospatial Approach

Meghadrigedda, a non-perennial drainage system is one of the major water resources of Vishak-hapatnam city located in the northern coastal region of Andhra Pradesh, India. It traverses through the hilly terrain of Eastern GhatMobile Belt (EGMB) characterized by khondalitic rock formations. Excessive siltation scenario aggravated due to soil erosion in its catchment is threat-ening the very existence of Meghadrigedda reservoir. In order to assess the intensity of soil ero-sion as well as silt deposition in the reservoir, an integrated study has been undertaken which takes into consideration various topographic, morphological, soil, and land use/land cover char-acteristics of the basin. The study aims at identification and mapping of erosion prone zones with respect to silt deposition using remote sensing and GIS techniques. Alteration in human induced land use practices in its catchment due to rapid growth in population, urbanization and industri-alization are found to be of prime reasons for various forms of erosion. The study has noticed tha