LAP Lambert Academic Publishing The Dynamics of Land use Land cover change on Stream Flow: in Fincha -Amerti- Neshe Sub-basin: Abay basin, Ethiopia

Fincha Amerti_Neshe sub-basin is densely populated causing various effects on resource bases like deforestation, expansion of residential area, and agricultural land. The sub basin is also facing high erosion by the effects of intense rainfall of the watershed which aggravates the land cover change of the watershed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the dynamics of land use land cover change and its effects on stream flow using SWAT model in Fincha Amerti Neshe watershed. The land use land cover change analyses were performed using ERDAS Imagine 2014 which was used for further analysis of SWAT. Land use land cover changes for three different years of 1990, 2000 and 2015 land use scenarios were used for estimation of stream flow. During the study period most parts of the grassland and shrub land were changed to cultivated land. An increase of cultivated land by 18.57% over 25 years period (1990 – 2015) resulted an increase of stream flow by 13.39m3/s. In Amerti, there was also an increase of cultivated land and wet lands by 15.57%, 15.27% for the periods 1990 – 2015 respectively.