Spatiotemporal Migration of the River Ganga in Middle Ganga Plane: Application of Remote Sensing and GIS Technique

Abstract

The process of channel migration becomes crucial to a populace living in or near the floodplain or to government organizations involved in planning or upholding the infrastructure within or nearby the floodplains. Spatiotemporal migration of the River Ganga in the Middle Ganga Plain for about forty years (1972–2018) was measured using Landsat images, coupled with extensive ground checks. Assessment of satellite images of 1972, 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2018 reveals the Ganga River migrated within its valley, demonstrating significant changes in the channel geometry on a decadal scale. Heavy rains promote the enhancement of the sediment load in the channel triggering a further increase in the sinuosity index. However, the overall sinuous nature of the Ganga River channel is mainly fault-controlled. The variable lateral migration of the channel seems related to heavy rains and reactivation of chute channels within the river valleys. The lateral movement of the river is one of the critical factor responsible for the failure of the older floodplain (bank) within the valley by the undercutting process.