Drainage Basin Analysis for Characterization of 3 Rd Order Watersheds Using Geographic Information System
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200 Journal of Geomatics Vol 8 No. 2 October 2014 Drainage basin analysis for characterization of 3rd order watersheds using Geographic Information System (GIS) and ASTER data V. Anantha Rama Department of Civil Engineering, R. V. College of Engineering, Bengaluru-560 059 Email: [email protected] (Received: Mar 13, 2014; in final form: Sep 25, 2014) Abstract: An attempt has been made to study and characterize the drainage morphometry and its influence on hydrology of Nalluru Amani Kere Watershed (NAKW), Karnataka, India. Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) data were used for preparing Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and slope maps. Geographical information system (GIS) was used in evaluation of linear, areal and relief a spects of morphometric parameters. NAKW is a constituent of the Cauvery river basin, in Karnataka state and covers an area of 415.68 km2, rd representing arid climate. The lower order streams are mostly dominating the basin. The mean Rb of the 3 order watersheds (MWS) is 3.38 which indicates that the drainage pattern is influenced marginally by geological structures. Length of overland flow indicates that in majority of MWS have short flow- paths, with steep ground slopes, reflecting the areas associated with more run-off and less infiltration. The remaining MWS indicate moderate ground slopes, where the run-off and infiltration are moderate and long flow-paths and gentle ground slopes, which reflects areas of less surface run-offs and more infiltration. Bifurcation ratio indicates absence of any significant structural control on the development of the drainage. Relief ratio indicates that the discharge capabilities of some of the MWS are low to moderate and the groundwater potential is moderate to good. These studies are very useful for planning in construction of rainwater harvesting structures and watershed management. Keywords: Morphometry, ASTER, Drainage, Bifurcation ratio, infiltration ratio 1. Introduction quantitative morphometric analysis (Nag and Chakraborti, 2003). The drainage basin analysis is important in many hydrological investigations like assessment of 2. Study area groundwater potential, groundwater management and environmental assessment. Hydrologists and The present work is of Nallur Amanikere watershed geomorphologists have recognized that certain (NAKW), located N–E of Gundlupet town, near morphometric relations are very important in Ingalavadi village, Chamrajnagar district, Karnataka, determining the runoff characteristics, geographic and India (Fig. 1). The study area geographically lies geomorphic characteristics of drainage basin systems. between 760 30′ E and 760 50′ E longitude and 110 38′ N Various important hydrological phenomena can be and 110 52′ N latitude, covers an area of 415.68 km2. correlated with the physiographic characteristics of drainage basins such as size, shape, slope of drainage area, drainage density, size and length of the contributories (Rastogi and Sharma, 1976). Watershed management involves proper utilization of land, water, forest and soil resources of a watershed for optimum production with minimum hazard to natural resources (Biswas et al., 1999). Drainage analysis based on morphometric parameters is very important for watershed planning since it gives an idea about the watershed characteristics in terms of slope, topography, soil condition, runoff characteristics, surface water potential etc. The development of landforms and drainage network depends on the bed rock lithology and associated geological structures. Hence, information on geomorphology, hydrology, geology and land cover can be obtained by studying reliable information of the drainage pattern and texture Figure 1: Location map of study area (Astras and Soulankellis, 1992). Thus the role of lithology and geologic structures in the development of 3. Method adopted stream networks can be better understood by studying the nature and type of drainage pattern and by a The base maps of the NAKW were prepared using Survey of India (SOI) Topographic maps on a 1:50,000 scale. The 30m resolution Digital Elevation Model © Indian Society of Geomatics 201 Journal of Geomatics Vol 8 No. 2 October 2014 (DEM) data was downloaded from the website 5. Quantitative morphometric analysis http://www.jspacesystems.or.jp/ersdac/GDEM/E/4.htm l.Based on these data, the slope, aspect and Morphometric analysis provides a quantitative topographic elevation maps for the watersheds were description of the basin geometry to understand initial prepared. The drainage network of the watersheds slopes or inequalities in the rock hardness, structural were scanned from SOI Toposheets no. 58A/9, controls, recent diastrophism, geological and 58A/10, 58A/13 and 58A/14 (1:50,000) and digitized geomorphic history of the drainage basin (Strahler, in ArcGIS 9.2 platform. The channels were classified 1964). Morphometric analysis requires measurements according to drainage order following Strahler (1964). of linear features, the gradients of the channel network Watershed parameters, such as area, perimeter, length, and contributing ground slopes of the drainage basin stream length and stream order were also calculated. (Nantiyal, 1994). One of the advantages of quantitative Later, these parameters were used to determine other analysis is that many of the basin parameters derived influencing factors, such as bifurcation ratio, stream are in the form of ratios or dimensionless numbers, length ratio, stream frequency, drainage density, thus providing an effective comparison irrespective of texture ratio, total relief, relief ratio, elongation ratio, the scale (Krishnamurthy et al., 1996). circulatory ratio, form factor and length of overland flow. 5.1 Linear aspects: In the present study linear aspects include stream order, stream length, stream length 4. Drainage pattern analysis ratio, length of overland flow, bifurcation ratio, RHO coefficient (RHO) are calculated using formulae The drainage pattern is the planimetric arrangement of suggested by various authors (Table 1) and studied. stream engraved into the land surface by a drainage system. The aggregates of drainage establish a design 5.1.1 Stream order (U) and Stream number (N): The on the earth’s surface, adjusted to topographic, stream order is a measure of degree of stream branching structural and lithological controls. The drainage within a watershed. In the study area the highest order pattern is an indicator of landforms and bedrock type. obtained is 6th order and hence designated as 6th order It also suggests soil characteristics and site drainage watershed. Each segment of the stream was numbered condition. The drainage pattern may reflect original starting from the first order to the maximum order slope, original structure or the modification of the earth present in each of the sub-basins. After numbering, the surface, including uplift depression, tilting and other drainage-network elements are assigned their order structural elements like faulting, folding, warping and numbers, the segments of each order are counted to jointing. The drainage pattern may be trellised, yield the number Nu of segments of the given order u. rectangular, parallel, dendritic or radial. In the study area all MWS belongs to dendritic type of drainage 5.1.2 Stream length (Lu): Length of the stream is an pattern (Fig. 2 and 3). indicator of the area contribution to the watershed, steepness of the drainage watershed as well as the degree of drainage. Steep and well drained areas generally have numerous small tributaries; whereas, in plains, where soils are deep and permeable, only relatively long tributaries (generally perennial streams) will be in existence. Thus, this factor gives an idea of the efficiency of the drainage network. Generally the total length of the stream segments decrease with stream order. Deviation from its general behavior indicates that the terrain is characterized by high relief and /or moderately steep slopes, underlying by varying Figure 2: Drainage map of Nalluru Amani Kere lithology and probable uplift across the watershed watershed (Singh and Singh, 1997). For the NAKW stream length of each order is presented in the table 2 and shows that the total stream length (∑Lu) in the MWS is minimum, 1.24 km in the MWS-12 and maximum 11.70 km in MWS-22. The sum of average stream lengths of first, second and third order streams (Table 2) indicates that the first order streams are longer than the higher order streams. In the average individual stream length, there is increasing trend from first order to third order. However, in some of the MWS the 3rd and 2nd order stream length is smaller than their lower order. In MWS-3, 3rd order is shorter than 2nd order, which is due to the variation in relief over which the segments Figure 3: 3rd order watersheds of Nalluru Amani occur. Kere watershed 202 Journal of Geomatics Vol 8 No. 2 October 2014 5.1.3 Mean stream length (Lsm): Lsm of a channel is 5.1.6 Bifurcation ratio (Rb): This is the universal value a dimensional property and reveals the characteristic for maturely dissected drainage basins (Rao and Babu, size of the drainage network components and its 1995). The number of stream segments of any given contribution watershed surfaces (Strahler, 1964). order will be fewer than for the next lower order but Generally it is observed that the mean stream length of more numerous than for the next higher order. any given order is greater than that of the lower order According to Strahler (1957), in a region of uniform but less than that of the next higher order. For NAKW climate and stage of development, the Rb tends to highest and lowest mean stream length is found to vary remain constant from one order to next order. The between 0.87 and 0.40, 2.48 and 0.16, 10.09 and 0.48 irregularities of the drainage watershed depend upon for 1st, 2nd and 3rd order stream respectively. Table 2 lithological and geological development, leading to shows the stream number and stream length of 1st, 2nd changes in the values from one order to the next. An and 3rd order MWS of NAKW.