A GIS-based assessment of recent changes in drainage and morphometry of Betwa River basin and sub-basins, Central India

• Published in: Applied water science Vol. 9; no. 7; pp. 1 - 12
• Main Authors: Venkatesh, Madavi, Anshumali
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Springer International Publishing 01.10.2019; Springer Nature B.V; SpringerOpen
• Subjects: Agricultural development; Agricultural land; Agricultural management; Agricultural watersheds; Anthropogenic factors; Aquatic Pollution; Betwa River basin; Bifurcations; Catchment area; Comparative Law; Drainage; Drainage basins; Drainage patterns; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Forest management; Forest watersheds; Forestry; Geographic information systems; Geographical information systems; Geological mapping; GIS; Hydrogeology; Hydrology; Industrial and Production Engineering; Industrial plants; Information systems; International & Foreign Law; Land use; Land use management; Morphometry; Nanotechnology; Original Article; Plant cover; Private International Law; Regions; Remote sensing; River basins; Rivers; Runoff; Spatial variations; SRTM DEM; Texture; Topographic mapping; Topographic maps; Vegetation cover; Waste Water Technology; Water Industry/Water Technologies; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Watershed management; India; Drainage; GIS; SRTM DEM; Morphometry; Betwa River basin
• ISSN: 2190-5487; 2190-5495
• DOI: 10.1007/s13201-019-1033-6

Morphometric characterization of the Betwa River basin (BRB) in Central India has been carried out to understand the spatial variations in morphometric parameters and evaluate hydrological, geological and topographical characteristics by analyzing SRTM DEM and topographical maps using geographic information system. Based on catchment characteristics and anthropogenic activities, the Betwa River basin and sub-basins were divided into three regions: (a) upstream, (b) midstream and (c) downstreams regions. The BRB comprised a dendritic drainage pattern where the maximum number of the stream was found in the first order. The mean bifurcation ratio (4.61) showed that the drainage pattern was not affected by structural disturbances. The drainage texture analysis showed the dominance of coarse texture, low runoff, low erosional potential, permeable subsurface material, high vegetation cover and low relief. The circularity ratio (0.13) showed an elongated shape of the basin. The > 74.5% of the study area had < 3° slope indicates gentle terrain condition. These results could be utilized in developing watershed management, agricultural land-use planning, forestry management and planning of sustainable industrial facilities.