Morphometric assessment of Gomati river basin, middle Ganga plain, Uttar Pradesh, North India

Abstract

The Gomati river is draining through the interfluves areas between Ganga and Ghaghra river, which is northern part of Indo-Gangetic foreland basin. The Gomati river basin passes through many stages of degradation and aggradations influenced by subsurface tectonic (neo) activities, base-level changes and climatic variability over time and space. The Gomati river basin covers an area of about 30,843 sq km in the middle Ganga plain. The quantitative approach of basin prioritization of the Gomati river and its four fifth-order sub-basin (SUB1–SUB4) was carried out by the morphometric parameters using LANDSAT and SRTM data. Drainage patterns are mainly in sub-dendritic to dendritic type which indicates that the Gomati river follows the natural gradient of the terrain. It is also observed that the low drainage density values of sub-basins indicate that the basins have highly permeable subsoil and thick vegetative cover. The circularity ratio value reveals that the basin is strongly elongated. The asymmetric factor, transverse topography asymmetry and profile section analysis reflect the tilt and upliftment of Gomati basin, signifying the tectonic control on the Gomati basin especially towards the confluence part. This study would help to utilize the water resources and prioritization for sustainable development of the Gomati basin area.