Computing the Variation of Stream Flow in a Gauged Basin using Satellite Imagery with Regards To Change in Land Use Pattern

Abstract

Hydrological and water resource problems always pose a serious challenge to mankind from time immemorial. The ambiguity in data, its non-availability, error in measurement of data's, unconditional ground characteristics always has been a challenge to hydraulic engineers. The watershed characteristics and studies also pose the same problems. Conventional rain-fall measuring techniques, non-reliable gauge and discharge data, etc add to these problems. Over the development of remote sensing techniques, hydraulics engineers too started to use these techniques over water related problem. In this paper, the remote sensing technique is used in computing the effect of land use change in a river basin in Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka, India and then the effects of these changes on the streamflow of the same river is analysed. With the development of a suitable numerical model, the same can be used to compute the runoff characteristics in any un-gauged basin too. With the scarcity of water resource data and the difficulty in obtaining them, the best way to address water related problems of the future is too shift to these remote sensing techniques. The satellite imagery for the study purpose has been obtained from IRS satellites and Bhuvan data portal. The runoff and rainfall data has been obtained from Indian meteorological department and Karnataka Irrigation department. Once the change in land use pattern is analysed and the corresponding change in runoff pattern is computed, suitable measures can be taken to overcome the drastic hydrological changes in the basin and remedial measures can be taken.