Geoinformatics for Inter B asin Water Transfer Assessment: A study in parts of Ganga – Brahmaputra Basin, Eastern India Niladri Gupta March, 2008 Course Title: Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation for Environmental Modelling and Management Level: Master of Science (Msc) Course Duration: September 2006 - March 2008 Consortium partners: University of Southampton (UK) Lund University (Sweden) University of Warsaw (Poland) International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC) (The Netherlands) GEM thesis number : 2006-20 Geoinformatics for inter basin water transfer assessment: A study in parts of Ganga – Brahmaputra basin, Eastern India by Niladri Gupta Thesis submitted to the International Institute for Geo-information Science and Earth Observation in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geo-information Science and Earth Observation for Environmental Modelling and Management Thesis Assessment Board Chairman: Dr. Ir. C.A.J.M. (Kees) de Bie External Examiner: Dr. Ir. C.M.M. (Chris) Mannaerts Internal Examiner: Prof. Petter Pilesjö Supervisor: Mr. Ulrik Martensson Supervisor: Dr. B.H.P. (Ben) Maathuis International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation Enschede, The Netherlands Disclaimer This document describes work undertaken as part of a programme of study at the International Institute for Geo-information Science and Earth Observation. All views and opinions expressed therein remain the sole responsibility of the author, and do not necessarily represent those of the institute. Abstract Fresh water availability and demand is unequally distributed over time and space. Availability of fresh water has more or less remained constant despite natural temporal fluctuation (Gupta and Zaag, 2007); the demand for clean water is ever increasing. With increasing demand of water, surpassing the supply, an integrated water resource management approach is required to balance environmental, social and economic considerations in the decision making process. Inter basin water transfer (IBWT) is one such approach which is being carried out in various countries of the world with varying environmental and social implication. The Interlinking of Rivers (ILR) project is one such alternative being planned in India. The present research is undertaken with the background of the ILR project focussing on two links between the Brahmaputra and Ganga basin. An assessment of the IBWT program in some of these tributaries of the Brahmaputra and the Ganga River in the eastern part of India covering the district of Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, India is carried out using Geoinformatics as a tool, IRS LISS III and LANDSAT TM data are used to generate thematic maps (landuse, geomorphology, drainage and geology) with an aim of carrying out multi-criteria analysis (MCA), considering physical and socio- economic suitability, to locate potential reservoirs to store water as well as delineating optimal canal route for transferring the water from the Brahmaputra basin to the Ganga basin for further transportation to the water deficit regions of India. Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) dataset of near global coverage averaged to 90 m resolution is used as an input for elevation information for the MCA as well as for estimating reservoir capacity and reservoir extent using a neighbourhood function of ILWIS as an iterative propagation process. The reservoir locations and an assumed discharge of water are then used to set about some dimensioning of the proposed link canal and the optimal routing to transfer the water. As assessment of the utilization of the available water for irrigation and human consumption has been done considering assumed losses due to evaporation, conveyance and reduction in reservoir capacity taking into account the characteristics of the rivers in the study area which carries a lot of sediment load. The research is a stepping stone for a future pre-feasibility study in this region using similar techniques but with more detailed dataset for the proposed links in the ILR plan and to find the feasibility of the proposed project. i Acknowledgements I would like to express my thanks to the European Union and the Erasmus Mundus consortium (University of Southampton, UK, Lund University, Sweden, Warsaw University, Poland and ITC, The Netherlands) for awarding me the scholarship to undertake this course in four European countries. It has been a lifetime experience for me. I would like to thank my primary supervisors Prof. Petter Pilesjo and Mr. Ulrik Martensson of Lund University, Sweden for their continuous support, guidance and useful suggestions during writing and finalisation of this thesis. I gained a lot of experience and honoured to have the opportunity to work with them. I would also like to thank them for their support and hospitality during my stay in Sweden. I am most grateful to my second supervisor Dr. Ben Maathuis for his continuous guidance to bring the research into shape. I gained a lot of scientific experience from him and I am grateful to him for his contribution to this research. I was overwhelmed by his patience and the encouragement that he gave me from the beginning of the work until the production of the thesis. My special thanks to Mr. Sanjoy Nag, Sr. Scientist and Dr. Parthasarathi Chakrabarti, Chief Scientist, Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of West Bengal for their invaluable support and suggestions during my field work and primary database generation. I would like to extend my gratitude to Prof. Peter Atkinson, Prof. Andrew Skidmore, Prof. Katarzyna Dobrowska, Dr. Andre Kooiman, Dr. Karin Larsson, Ms. Steff Webb, Ms. Eva Kovacs and Ms. Jorein Terlouw for their support and hospitality during my stay in the four hosting countries. My best wishes to my classmates from around the globe and the lovely people whom I met in the four countries for sharing their friendship and knowledge during the last one and half years in Europe. Finally my deepest gratitude to my parents for their support and encouragement during my stay away from home. ii Table of contents 1. Introduction................................................................................................10 1.1. Background of the Problem........................................................................ 10 1.2. Problem Statement ..................................................................................... 13 1.3. Research Objectives and Questions............................................................17 1.4. Hypothesis..................................................................................................18 1.5. Research Stages..........................................................................................19 1.6. Limitations of the study.............................................................................. 20 1.6.1. Socio - Political................................................................................. 21 1.6.2. Overall Assessment ..........................................................................21 1.6.3. Data Quality...................................................................................... 22 2. Literature Review....................................................................................... 23 2.1. Terrain Analysis and Remote Sensing as a tool for reservoir site selection . ....................................................................................................................23 2.2. Elevation data processing routines in support of reservoir site selection ...26 2.3. Hydrological characteristic of the main drainage in the study area............27 2.4. Limitations of water transfer and possible consequences...........................32 2.5. Summary ....................................................................................................33 3. Materials and Methods............................................................................... 35 3.1. Study area...................................................................................................35 3.1.1. Basin Characteristics ........................................................................35 3.1.2. Geomorphology................................................................................36 3.1.3. Geology ............................................................................................ 39 3.1.4. Landuse / Landcover / Infrastructure................................................42 3.2. Satellite Data, Maps and Ancillary Data used............................................42 3.3. Methodology ..............................................................................................43 3.3.1. Terrain Analysis and Reservoir Site Location ..................................44 3.3.2. Reservoir Volume / Reservoir Capacity Estimation .........................46 3.3.3. Criteria for Optimal Routing.............................................................49 3.4. Field Work..................................................................................................49 3.5. Summary ....................................................................................................50 4. Results and Discussions ............................................................................. 51 4.1. Results of Post Field Analysis.................................................................... 51 4.1.1. Terrain Analysis / Multi Criteria Analysis Results...........................51