**4.4 Cover management factor (C)**

The Cover management usually known as the C factor is used to estimate the impact of several management and cropping practices on soil erosion. After topography, vegetation is considered as the 2ndmostsignificant factor that helps in minimizing the risk of soil erosion. Different types of LULC intercepts precipitation and results in increasing infiltration rates and also helps in the reduction of rainfall impact on ground by reducing its energy before hitting the ground (**Figure 8**).

In the study area, Global land cover data was used to calculate and analyze a C-factor map. It was generated by converting the dataset into a polygon .shp. The shape file was then modified in ArcGIS by merging all the attributes of same grid codes of land cover type. Now, the C values were assigned by reviewing the literature

#### **Figure 6.** *Soil Erodibility factor (K) of eastern Hindukush, Pakistan.*

of comparable model usage in the areas having similar prevailing climatic conditions (**Table 1**).

### **4.5 Erosion control practice management factor (P)**

The P factor or erosion support practice factor indicates the rate of soil loss as per different land cover management practices. This factor particularly accounts for the control practices which reduces the rate of erosion caused by runoff, and also focusses their influence on drainage patterns, runoff concentration and runoff velocity. P factor also accounts for the hydraulic forces exerted on soil by runoff. Land treatment in the form of contouring, strip cropping and terracing are the precautionary measures taken to prevent erosion (**Figure 9**).

The precautionary measures or any control practices that are being used to minimize the impact of various elements on erosion contributes in the generation of P factor (**Table 2**).

This issue has never been addressed in the study region. Accordingly, no resistance or management strategies and techniques have been used. Consequently, the value of '1' was generally set for the generalization of the P factor in the eastern Hindukush, Pakistan.
