Assessing changing flow regime of upper and middle reaches of Narmada river using the indicators of hydrological alterations (IHA) metrics

Abstract

ABSTRACT Researchers have long been trying to identify and estimate the impacts on the hydrological regime of rivers caused due to anthropogenic activities. In the present study, IHA was used to analyse the effect of dams on the flow regime of the upper and middle Narmada River. A total of 33 indicators were analysed to calculate Hydrological alteration due to dams in Narmada River. Average HA Index values of all 33 parameters are relatively higher for middle Narmada at Mandleshwar (0.86) than that of upper Narmada at Burmanghat (0.57). The average extreme water conditions have decreased both in frequency and in duration. Specifically, fewer floods and less low flow events have occurred in the post-dam period. The main purpose of this article is to identify and quantify the variations in the hydrologic regime so that the cumulative impacts of anthropogenic activities on water resources and the aquatic ecosystems may be reduced using proper water resource management strategies.