Abstract

The study is carried out to understand the impact of the land-use change in terms of alteration in flow regimes, which are understood to be a leading cause of ecological and environmental deterioration in riverine systems. Meenachil river in the humid tropical region of Kerala, India, is one of a kind river with human settlement along the banks for all its 78 kms of flow through the Kottayam District. The analysis of streamflow from four stream gauge stations was done using Range Variability Approach. The analysis was down as a two-time period analysis with the parametric approach with the period separation taken according to prior studies on land-use change. The analysis shows a high degree of alteration, which can be attributed to the land-use change and can be understood as the root cause for the deterioration of water quality and also the ecological distress, which is well documented in the downstream and watershed regions of the river.

Highlights

  • Water is the lifeblood of planet Earth (Acreman 2004)

  • The IHA analysis of 67 flow parameters shows there are alterations in the flow regime of the Meenachil river, which is the lifeblood of the Kottayam District in Kerala

  • The change in flow pattern attributes to the land-use change along the watershed region of the river

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Summary

Introduction

Water is the lifeblood of planet Earth (Acreman 2004). The hydro-ecological systems such as lakes, rivers, saline, and freshwater bodies, as well as the groundwaters, are systems that need protection. Flows for September show Teekoy and Kidangoor mean increasing from the pre-impact period, whereas Pala and Peroor data continue with the trend of a lowered mean than the pre-impact period.

Results
Conclusion

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