GI-Science Based Morphometric Analysis for Geo-Hydrological Studies of Ghaggar River Basin, North-West India

Abstract

Morphometric analyses play a vital role in hydrological investigations. The application of GI-Science and processing techniques have greatly facilitated this through delineation of morphological features or drainage pattern, development and management of drainage basin, groundwater potential mapping, etc. to meet sustainable development goals. The Ghaggar river basin is located between Latitudes 27°39' N – 32 ͦ 32’N and Longitudes 73 ͦ 55’E – 77°36' E and covering an area of 20,454.08 sq.km elevation ranges from 169 metres to 1884 metres above MSL. The river originates from District Sirmaur in Himachal Pradesh and flows through Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan. In the present study, the morphometric analysis of Ghaggar river basin has been performed to study the various drainage parameters using geospatial technique. The morphometric analysis shows that the watershed has five mini watersheds,  sixth order stream segment, drainage network is dendritic in nature, drainage density is 0.434 km per sq. km, stream frequency is 0.096 streams per sq. km, bifurcation ratio of all mini watersheds is 2 to 12, Various morphometric parameters such as linear, aerial and relief aspects have been correlated with each other to apprehend their fundamental association and their influence over basin hydro-geomorphology, soil and topography. The geomorphic parameters are of immense utility in developing proper disposition and decision making of watershed for natural resource appraisal, catchment area advancement, watershed characteristics, planning and drainage development.