Morphometric Analysis and Prioritization of Sub-Watersheds in the Kosi River Basin for Soil and Water Conservation

Abstract

Remote sensing and Geographical Information System are efficient techniques for prioritization of sub-watershed through morphometric analysis and positioning water harvesting structures. The morphometric analysis provides a quantitative description of a watershed for evaluating and estimation of drainage characteristics. The present study focused on Kosi River Basin (KRB), situated in Indo-Gangetic plains, Bihar state, India for soil and water conservation. The Digital Elevation Model (DEM) estimated from Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) is utilized for calculating the morphometric parameters in terms of basic, linear, and shape parameters and compound factor. KRB have been divided into 13 sub-watersheds and prioritized accordingly based on compound factor analysis to meet the need of water and soil conservation. The overall results indicate that the sub-watershed nos. 5, 8 and 4 require utmost attention and conservative practices because of their high erodibility characteristics. This study can be very useful in the identification of erosion-prone areas and implementation of conservation practices for water resources.