Soil erosion is a natural geomorphic process with the potential to damage fertile land. In this study, soil erosion risk is spatially estimated in District Swat by applying Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). The RUSLE parameters that trigger soil erosion including rainfall erosivity, soil erodibility, topography, cover management, and support practices were derived from monthly rainfall data obtained from Pakistan Metrology Department, soil texture map from Soil Survey of Pakistan and Digital Soil Map of the World database, land use land cover extracted from SPOT 5 satellite image, whereas slope and digital terrain extracted from Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) Digital Elevation Model (DEM). It was found from the analysis that out of the total reported area, 34.5% falls in the area affected by very high soil erosion. The results of spatial pattern and erosion proneness of the study region have been further classified into very low (45%), low (8.5%), moderate (7%), high (5.2%), and very high zones (34.5%). The results show that the study area requires effective mitigation strategies to curtail the precious soil. This study has the potential to assist the decision makers and planners for soil loss risk reduction.

This study analyses the impact of Land Use Land Cover (LULC) dynamics on the development of Urban Heat Islands (UHI) in a diverse topographic region of Nowshera district, Pakistan. The rapid increase in the study region is causing a rise in land surface temperatures, and subsequently bring alterations in the local climate. The growth of cities and changes in LULC have modified the surface of land and near-surface atmospheric temperature and changed the thermal properties of the gray infrastructure (built-up areas), causing warming compared to the area of non-urbanized surroundings, contributing to the formation of the Urban Heat Island effect. For this study, Landsat 5 (1990), Landsat 7 (2005), and Landsat 8 (2020) were used. LST, LULC, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Normalized Difference Built-up Index (NDBI), Normalized Difference Bareness Index (NDBaI), and Urban Index (UI) were derived to assess the influence of LULC changes on UHI. The analysis revealed a 12.44% increase in built-up areas between 1990 and 2020, driven by population growth and urbanization, which led to a 2°C rise in mean LST, with maximum temperatures increasing from 46°C to 48°C. In contrast, vegetation cover, water bodies, and barren land declined by 6.1%, 1.3%, and 5%, respectively, reflecting trade-offs between urban expansion and natural resources. Higher LST values were concentrated around main urban centers and gray infrastructure, while green infrastructure and water bodies experienced lower LST. A negative correlation was observed between NDVI and LST, whereas LST showed positive correlations with NDBI, NDBaI, and UI. The urban and rural temperature range widened with LULC change during the study period. These changes in LST were mainly associated with changes in LULC. This study will be helpful in highlighting the importance of vegetation areas, especially in urban areas, in minimizing the increasing impacts of UHI.

Soil erosion is a severe problem posing a number of adverse effects on the environment. It is a prominent hazard damaging the fertile agricultural land. Therefore, in this study, a spatio-temporal assessment of soil erosion was carried out in the Swat River Basin, Pakistan by employing the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE). The parameters of the RUSLE model are rainfall erosivity, soil erodibility, slope length and steepness, land management and support practice. These factors were developed from monthly mean rainfall data obtained from the Regional Metrology Department Peshawar, FAO soil database, land use data prepared from Landsat-5 and 8 satellite imageries, topographic data obtained from the ALOS PALSAR Digital Elevation Model (DEM). The analysis discovered that 13% of the study area experienced severe erosion. Results of the spatial distribution and vulnerability to erosion within the Swat River Basin have been categorized into different zones such as very low (59.7%), low (19.5%), moderate (5.37%), high (6.86%), and very high (5.96%). These results accentuate the necessity for mitigation measures in the study area to mitigate the loss of valuable topsoil. This research possesses the potential to offer valuable insights into decision-making and planning to reduce the risk of erosion.