Drainage Morphometric Investigation of Nimni Watershed, Chhatarpur District, Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract

The present paper deals with drainage morphometric investigation of Nimni watershed, Chhatarpur District, Madhya Pradesh, India. A morphometric analysis of the Nimni watershed has been carried out to characterize the nature of drainage network. The linear, areal and relief aspects of the drainage basin have been determined. The morphometric parameters have been computed on the basis of drainage map prepared on 1:50,000 scale. These parameters includes Stream order, Lengths of stream, Bifurcation ratio, Drainage density, Length of overland flow, Stream frequency, Form factor, Circulatory ratio, Elongation ratio, Lemniscate’s ratio, Basin relief, Relief ratio, Ruggedness number and Ground surface slope. The drainage area of the Nimni watershed is 98 km2. The stream order of the basin is mainly controlled by physiographic and lithological conditions of the area. The increase in stream length ratio from lower to higher order shows that the study area has reached a mature geomorphic stage. The geomorphic analysis of Nimni watershed reveals that the present drainage basin exhibits uneven topography, presence of hard rock terrain and dendritic to sub-dendritic drainage pattern. The dendritic drainage pattern exhibits the presence of hard and resistant rocks referable to Bundelkhand Granite Complex.