Abstract
Baseline morphometric information at a sub basin level is essential to develop appropriate strategy for sustainable, socially acceptable, ecologically benign and economically viable development of a river basin. The present study was carried out in one of the less studied Bharathapuzha river basin (BRB), the second longest river in the state of Kerala, India. The annual discharge of the river is 3.94 km3. Nevertheless the basin, which receives about 1828 mm of annual rainfall, in recent years has been facing dearth of water. We used GIS and RS tools to study the morphometric characteristics of the basin. The seventh order main river is formed by several lower order streams forming a dentritic flow pattern. Basin geology, slope and rainfall pattern in the basin determine the morphometric characteristics of the basin. The linear aspects of the basin including stream length ratio and bifurcation ratio indicate the role of relief in the basin while the areal ratios indicate the elongate nature of the basin.
Highlights
Morphometric analysis provides quantitative expression of drainage basins, and is regarded as one important tool in hydric analysis [1] providing simple and accurate measures to document the drainage systems [2]
Morphometric analysis brings out the basic characters on the geometrical and mechanical aspects of the river basin which in turn would be helpful in understanding the hydrology, sediment characteristics and landscape evolution of basins
River basins are considered as an open system and the basic steps involved in morphometric analysis are defining, measuring and analyzing the quantitative indices related to flow plane geometry and profile, and bed form of river basins
Summary
Morphometric analysis provides quantitative expression of drainage basins, and is regarded as one important tool in hydric analysis [1] providing simple and accurate measures to document the drainage systems [2]. Morphometric analysis brings out the basic characters on the geometrical and mechanical aspects of the river basin which in turn would be helpful in understanding the hydrology, sediment characteristics and landscape evolution of basins. River basins are considered as an open system and the basic steps involved in morphometric analysis are defining, measuring and analyzing the quantitative indices related to flow plane geometry and profile, and bed form of river basins. The recent studies make use of the high potentials of Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) as the most popular and effective tools to investigate the river morphometry and basin characters
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