Land use and cover change are closely linked to catchment hydrology characteristics. Land uses and cover determine the ability of the catchment to collect, store, and release water. The catchment water storage and flow ability affect the quantity and timing of runoff, soil erosion, and sediment transport downstream. Agriculture on of the major drivers for the changes in water flow pathways, which also causes a catastrophic shift of aquatic ecosystems. We assessed the impact of land-use changes on the water flow characteristics in the Upper Pangani Sub catchment using the hydrologic model Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT). Land use and cover changes within the Upper Pangani Sub catchment were analyzed between 1987 and 2017 using QGIS. The result shows that agriculture has expanded from 96,737 ha to 314,871 ha between 1987 and 2017. Bare land and built-up land have gained 14690 ha and 7083 ha respectively during this period. Land-use changes have affected the basin's land cover. Forest has decreased from 196558 ha to 106839 ha between 1987 and 2017. Bush land cover has lost 83445 ha during this period. Bushland cover fall victim to agricultural activities, whereas forest is cleared for logging and fire incidences. Consequently, surface runoff has increased from 60.84 to 73.02 (20.6% increase) between 1987 and 2017. Sediment yield has increase from 6.9 to 12.74 ton/ha (46% increase), and groundwater recharge has decreased from 106.53 to 99.56 (6.5% decrease). It concluded that land cover transformation alters hydrology characteristics of the catchment, resulting to fast surface flow, high rate of soil erosion and low infiltration rate. It is recommended that agro-forestry should be emphasized in the catchment.

土地利用和覆盖变化与流域水文特征密切相关。土地利用和覆盖决定了集水区收集、储存和释放水的能力。集水区的蓄水和流动能力影响下游径流、土壤侵蚀和泥沙输送的数量和时间。农业是水流路径变化的主要驱动力，这也导致水生生态系统的灾难性转变。我们使用水文模型土壤和水评估工具 (SWAT) 评估了土地利用变化对 Upper Pangani Sub 流域水流特征的影响。使用 QGIS 分析了 1987 年至 2017 年间 Upper Pangani Sub 流域内的土地利用和覆盖变化。结果显示，1987 年至 2017 年间，农业面积从 96,737 公顷扩大到 314,871 公顷。在此期间，裸地和建设用地分别增加了 14690 公顷和 7083 公顷。土地利用变化影响了流域的土地覆盖。1987 年至 2017 年间，森林面积从 196558 公顷减少到 106839 公顷。在此期间，灌木土地覆盖面积减少了 83445 公顷。丛林覆盖成为农业活动的牺牲品，而森林则因伐木和火灾而被清除。因此，1987 年至 2017 年间，地表径流从 60.84 增加到 73.02（增加 20.6%）。泥沙产量从 6.9 增加到 12.74 吨/公顷（增加 46%），地下水补给量从 106.53 减少到 99.56（减少 6.5%） ）。得出的结论是土地覆盖转变改变了流域的水文特征，导致地表流速快、土壤侵蚀率高和入渗率低。