## 3 Data and Methodology
The catchment total area, or the total surface that drains into a particular form of water, was initially determined using specific spatial analysis tools. Because it identifies sub-catchments with wider surface areas that can intercept rainstorms and with longer drainage streams that allow greater water storage and flow, this catchment area is crucial for a greater understanding of the morphometric aspects. Additionally, important parameters that characterize watersheds include the total perimeter, average stream order, total stream count, and stream length. The perimeter represents the complete boundary length of the catchment. The higher-order rivers and streams are more susceptible to significant runoff and soil erosion, owing to their steeper slopes and more extensive drainage areas when compared to lower-order streams. A more complex drainage network is assigned by more major rivers and streams in each order, and longer water branches are more vulnerable to surface runoff and soil erosion processes during heavy storms because they can accumulate and carry  
Figure 4: Flowchart presenting processing steps applied in this study. water downhill for longer distances and periods of time. Drainage textures are classified into several categories, including <2 (very coarse textures), 2-4 (coarse textures), 4-6 (moderate textures), 6-8 (fine textures), and >8 (very fine textures), as noted in Ref. [41]. Watershed features, encompassing derived, area-specific, and relief elements of morphometric parameters, significantly impact runoff and sediment movement, which are critical factors in assessing soil erosion risk. Watersheds characterized by steep gradients and dense drainage networks are generally at a higher risk for erosion than those with milder slopes and less dense drainage. To systematically assess this risk, the mathematical equations outlined in Table 1 are utilized to extract parameters following the collection of fundamental morphometric data through GIS techniques. Important indices for evaluating soil erosion include drainage density (Dd) and bifurcation ratio (Rb). These indices are calculated by first establishing catchment boundaries using the Hydrology tools available in ArcGIS, generating a stream network from digital elevation model (DEM) data, and then determining the stream order along with the cumulative length of the streams in the network. Specifically, drainage density is derived by taking the total length of the streams and dividing it by the area of the catchment, while the bifurcation ratio is found by dividing the count of streams of order u. Furthermore, areal parameters derived from fundamental characteristics provide valuable insights into the catchment's overall shape; for instance, catchments with elevated circularity ratios are typically less prone to erosion. This enables the identification of susceptible watershed regions through GIS mapping techniques that analyze the circularity ratio. In this investigation, the methodologies outlined in Table 1 were employed using ArcGIS 10.4 to categorize the Wadi Haly catchment into 15 distinct basins, each exhibiting eight unique stream orders. The primary rivers within this catchment include Haly, Bariq, Muhayil, and Qana, each of which traverses multiple sub-catchments, thereby influencing the region's hydrological framework.