RETRACTED: Hydrological modeling using SWAT model and geoinformatic techniques

Abstract

In India the availability of accurate information on runoff is scarce. However in view of the quickening watershed management programme for conservation and development of natural resources and its management, runoff information assumes great relevance. Soil and Water Assess- ment Tool (SWAT) is a physically based distributed parameter model which has been developed to predict runoff, erosion, sediment and nutrient transport from agricultural watersheds under differ- ent management practices. For the present study, Satluj basin up to the Bhakra dam has been selected as the study region. The basic intent of the present study is to derive the parameters required for runoff modeling using the geospatial database and estimate the runoff of the Satluj basin. During the basic data preparation stage of the study, the land use map and the digital eleva- tion model covering the study area were derived with the help of remotely sensed information. Weather data have been analysed for thirty years with the help of ENVI and ERDAS softwares to calculate the mean monthly values of each weather parameter. Shuttle Radar Topographic Mis- sion (SRTM) data have been imported in the SWAT project to start watershed delineation. Six hun- dred and eight hydrological resource units are created by defining the land use, soil and slope conditions. By providing all the inputs for model set up, SWAT model was simulated for the period of thirty years (year 1980-2010). After the successful execution of the model, it shows the sediment yield to be highest in April and May months with a total sediment loading of about 51.27 T/HA. Result of stream flow is validated with observed data of Kasol with RMSE and r 2 techniques. The average annual surface runoff is about 79.67 mm. Such type of runoff modeling is of immense importance for reservoir management of the Bhakra dam of the Satluj basin. Further, this model can be utilized as a potential tool for water resource management of the Satluj basin. 2014 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences.