Stream Flow Prediction in a Typical Ungauged Catchment Using GIUH Approach

Abstract

Stream flow measurement in Rivers have significant effect on various applications in the field of water resources. Yet, in many parts of the world, Rivers are either poorly gauged or completely ungauged and in some cases the existing system is continuously declining. Stream flow prediction at such “ungauged” drainage basins require information transfer from donor catchments (gauged) to receiver catchments (ungauged) that are apparent to be hydrologically homogeneous to them. Geomorphologic instantaneous unit hydrograph (GIUH) approach can be used as a transfer function for modelling the rainfall – runoff process. The present study provides an effective approach which deals with the geomorphologic features of the ungauged drainage basin and derives the GIUH based transfer function and consequently geomorphologic unit hydrograph (GUH) for the study area. Koel River basin of India has been chosen as the study area. Before applying the approach on the Koel River basin it is applied on another basin where unit hydrograph data was available. To validate the derived GUH of the Koel River basin, a comparison was executed with the synthetic unit hydrograph (SUH) attained using the Central Water Commission (CWC) procedure. The closest GUH to the SUH was determined based on the comparison.