Bundelkhand Region Of Central India Research Articles

Quantitative Morphometric and Morphotectonic Analysis of Pahuj Catchment Basin, Central India

In the present work, the morphometric and morphotectonic analysis of the Pahuj basin catchment of the Bundelkhand region of Central India was carried by using remote sensing and GIS techniques. The drainage map, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), density, contour, aspect, and other thematic maps were extracted from ASTER-DEM (30m resolution) data by using geographical information system (GIS) tool. Five order streams have been validated in the study area and an inverse relationship between the stream order and stream number has been established. The high mean bifurcation ratio (Rb=5.12) indicates that the drainage pattern is controlled by geological structures in the impermeable granitic terrain. The stream frequency (2.69) is indicative of the increment of stream population for drainage density. Contrary to this the drainage density (2.08) is suggestive of low to moderate infiltration rate and is showing the thin vegetal cover on the impermeable rocky terrain. The elongation ratio (0.61) and form factor (0.29) infer that the catchment basin is elongated and shows low peak flows. The value of ruggedness and Melton ruggedness number implies that the basin is moderately rugged and debris watershed and is less susceptible to soil erosion. The drainage pattern of basin catchment flowing in diverse lithological and structural terrain (Archean and Palaeoproterozoic age) is exhibiting less influence of active tectonics. The NW-SE, E-W and NNE-SSW trending lineaments resembling the orientation of lower-order streams are suggestive of structural control. The NE-SW trending high order streams flowing in an elongated Pahuj basin catchment and coinciding with the orientation of major NE-SW lineaments are indicative of major tectonic control.

Building climate resilience in degraded agricultural landscapes through water management: A case study of Bundelkhand region, Central India

Rainfall variability and water scarcity continue to hamper the food and income security of smallholder farming systems in poverty-affected regions. Innovations in soil and water management, especially in the drylands, are critical for meeting food security and water productivity targets of Agenda 2030. This study analyzes how rainfed agriculture can be intensified with marginal impact on the landscape water balance. The impact of rainwater harvesting structures on landscape hydrology and associated agricultural services was analyzed in the semi-arid Jhansi district of Bundelkhand region in central India. The Parasai-Sindh pilot watershed was subjected to a 5-year (2012–2016) monitoring of rainfed system improvements in water availability and crop intensification due to surface water storage (haveli system), check dams, and field infiltration structures. Hydrological processes were monitored intensively to analyze the landscape’s water balance components. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) structures altered the landscape’s hydrology, limiting average surface runoff from 250 mm/year to 150 mm/year over the study period. Groundwater levels increased by 2–5 m (m), alleviating water scarcity issues of the communities in recurring dry years. Nearly 20% of fallow lands were brought under cultivation. Crop yields increased by 10–70% and average household income increased from US$ 960/year to US$ 2700/year compared to that in the non-intervention landscape. The combined soil–water–vegetation efforts strengthened water resilience and environmental systems in agricultural landscape.

Multi-satellite precipitation products for meteorological drought assessment and forecasting in Central India

In this study, a comparative analysis of three satellite precipitation products including the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM-3B43 V7), the Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks-Climate Data Record (PERSIANN-CDR), and the Climate Hazards Group InfraRed Precipitation with Station (CHIRPS V2) with ground-measured Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) precipitation data were performed to estimate the meteorological drought in the Bundelkhand region of Central India. The high-resolution CHIRPS data showed the closest agreement with the IMD precipitation and well captured the drought characteristics. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) identified seven major droughts events during the period of 1981 to 2016. Appropriate calibration and validation were performed for drought forecasting using the Auto-Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model. The forecasting result showed a reasonably good agreement with the observed datasets with the one-month lead time. The outcomes of this study have policy level implications for drought monitoring and preparedness in this region.

Assessing the level of living condition in Bundelkhand region of Central India: a households level analysis

The study assesses the level of development and disparities in terms of living conditions of the households in the districts of Bundelkhand region. To measure actual scenario of living conditions of the HHs, a Composite Index was developed on the basis of 18 indicators. Even to assess living conditions of the HHs, four indices have been developed namely Housing Index, Physical Capital Index and Asset Index. The level of development of the districts has been categorized on the basis of Composite Index value. The results show that there is a wide disparity in terms of conditions of living in different districts of Bundelkhand region. The results also shows that northern part of Bundelkhand region is more developed as compared to southern part. From the result, it was recorded that the districts belonging in Madhya Pradesh having better condition of living in comparison to Uttar Pradesh in Bundelkhand region. The research study suggests that authorities should focus on the proper implementation of the existing policies and more effective planning and policies should be implemented to enhance the better living conditions of the households in Bundelkhand region.

Bamboo-based agroforestry system (Dendrocalamus strictus + sesame–chickpea) for enhancing productivity in semi-arid tropics of central India

Bundelkhand region of central India is characterized by erratic rainfall with high frequency of drought. The region has undulating topography, poor groundwater resources and shallow soils with low soil fertility, resulting in frequent crop failures. A study was undertaken to assess the potential of bamboo-based agroforestry system to enhance productivity and economic returns at the research farm of ICAR-Central Agroforestry Research Institute, Jhansi (Uttar Pradesh), India, which lies in the Bundelkhand region of central India. The 7-year study (2007–2015) recorded 2906 number of bamboo culms ha−1 at 10 m × 10 m spacing compared to 2409 culms under 12 m × 10 m spacing. Averaged over 3 years (5th, 6th and 7th year), bamboo culm yield from agroforestry (Dendrocalamus strictus + Sesamum indicum–Cicer arietinum)/(bamboo + sesame–chickpea) was higher by 3.20 and 4.96% over sole bamboo in 12 m × 10 m and 10 m × 10 m, respectively. The intercrop productivity started declining from 3rd year onwards, and the extent of reduction in productivity was to the tune of 26.1, 23.7, 24.2, 17.4 and 17.4% during the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th year, respectively. From 5th year onwards, the harvested bamboo culms contributed to the improvement in the system productivity and it was 29 and 236% higher than the sole crops and sole bamboo, respectively, during the 7th year. Financial analysis showed that bamboo-based agroforestry system (bamboo + sesame–chickpea) planted at 12 m × 10m spacing was having high land equivalent ratio (1.95–2.14) and was more profitable than arable cropping and sole bamboo. Therefore, the Dendrocalamus strictus-based agroforestry system can be a potential alternative to arable cropping in semi-arid tropics of central India to enhance productivity and economic returns.

Analysis of Factors Triggering Distress Migration in Bundelkhand Region of Central In

Bundelkhand region of central India, a major drought affected area of the country is associated to high level of rural to urban migration. The present study was conducted to analyze the socio-economic characteristics of the migrants and to examine the key factors triggering migration decision of agriculture practicing households. The region was facing drought for the fourth consecutive period which had left the population, mainly dependent on agricultural income, out of option than migration. The analysis of socio-economic profile of migrants showed that majority of the migrants were between the age group of 20–39 (70.1%) and the education level was secondary (54.8%). The population of female migrants was comparatively low, as many of them followed their family to the migrating place after marriage. Majority of the migrants (81.73%) were engaged in unskilled manual labour activities like construction works in destination cities. The various factors identified triggering migration decision were associated to livelihood security, climatic, agricultural, institutional and socio-cultural factors.

Sighting of Red-headed Vultures (Sarcogyps calvus) in a group

Asian vultures are endangered birds included in Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. From the nine species of vultures found in India, five are reported from the Bundelkhand region in central India. An exhaustive survey was done in the Panna Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, from January to June 2016. Red-headed Vultures (Sarcogyps calvus) are solitary in nature but during the survey we collectively sighted a total of 12 Red-headed Vultures in Panna Tiger Reserve, whilst eight were recorded in the region between Hinauta and Dhudhua Seha in one group. Red-headed Vultures are facing serious threats of habitat loss and lack of food availability along with diclofenac poisoning, and they require various conservation measures to maintain their population.

A Geo‐spatial study for analysing temporal responses of NDVI to rainfall

Climate change has become a serious concern worldwide owing to its multifaceted impact upon the physical as well as socio‐economic environment (IPCC, 2013). Vulnerability to climate change is much higher in the developing countries like India, where the economy is mainly agro‐based and productivity from the agricultural sector is dependent upon summer monsoon rainfall. Hence, assessing the quantitative relationship between vegetation patterns and climatic influence has become an increasingly important study conducted on regional and global scales. As vegetation cover plays a key role in conserving the natural environment, studying the spatio‐temporal trend of vegetation is crucial in identifying changes in the natural environment. We analysed the spatial responses of SPOT‐VGT NDVI to TRMM based rainfall during a sixteen year period (1998–2013) in the Bundelkhand region of Central India. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) has proven to be a strong indicator of global vegetation productivity. Among climatic factors, rainfall robustly influences both spatial and temporal outline of NDVI. In this study, we used linear regression for analysing the statistical relationship among NDVI and rainfall and their trends. The study reveals a varying pattern of vegetation dynamics in response to rainfall over the area.

Trees for Life:Creating Sustainable Livelihood in Bundelkhand Region of Central India

Trees have been a part of life for centuries in India for sustainable livelihood security. Under the difficult climatic situations, farmers are forced to adopt tree-based systems to secure their income and livelihood. Non-timber forest products (NTFPs) harvesting, collection and processing are creating several employment opportunities in the drought-prone Bundelkhand region of India. This article aims to document the livelihood dependency on trees of farmers, tribals and landless labourers for income generation. Surveys and interviews in Bundelkhand region provided an overview of the dependency of different rural communities on NTFPs such as gum, dona pattal, lac from Butea; brooms, jaggery and baskets from Phoenix; flowers and seeds from mahua; bidi leaves from tendu and sticks from bamboo for sustaining their livelihood. To promote NTFPs-based livelihood enterprises, more emphasis should be given for sustainable harvest, value-addition and marketing.

Drought indicators-based integrated assessment of drought vulnerability: a case study of Bundelkhand droughts in central India

Decision makers face multifaceted challenge in characterizing drought climatology for appropriate water resources-related drought management strategies. This paper focuses on understanding and quantifying the drought vulnerability of Bearma basin in the Bundelkhand region of central India, which is one of the prominent climate extremes that the region is affected by frequently. Regular drought conditions have been prevailing in the region in the last decade with continuous drought from 2004 to 2007. An integrated approach using multiple indicators has been developed to spatially identify the vulnerable regions. The Bearma basin has been selected as a pilot basin to develop a methodology for integrated drought vulnerability assessment adopting spatially and temporally varying drought characteristics represented by drought indicators. The temporally varying indicators include standardized precipitation index (SPI), surface water drought index and groundwater drought index. The spatial information of the indicators was categorized in layers prepared in the spatial domain using a geographic information system, and integrated values of weights of various indicators have been computed on a 50 × 50 m grid scale. The SPI has been applied to quantify monthly precipitation deficit anomalies on multiple time scales (1, 3, 6 and 12 months). The drought characteristics including frequency, duration and intensity and magnitude have been calculated with the estimated SPI. The multiple indicator approach has been used for arriving at the drought vulnerable zones. The highly vulnerable areas are located in the southern and northern regions of the Bearma basin. It has been observed that more than 26 % of the basin lies in the highly and critically vulnerable classes and consequently has greater drought-related negative impacts. Results show that the proposed method is highly effective in representing assessments of drought vulnerability.

Impact of Albizia procera benth. based agroforestry system on soil quality in Bundelkhand region of Central India

Impact of <i>Albizia procera</i> benth. based agroforestry system on soil quality in Bundelkhand region of Central India

Evaluation of Hydrological Drought Characteristics for Bearma Basin in Bundelkhand Region of Central India

Drought is a natural hazard that can have severe impacts on a variety of sectors and at a variety of scales. The Bundelkhand region in Central India has been under the grip of continuous and recurrent drought in the recent years. This has caused large scale economic losses and severe hardships for the local population leading to large scale out-migration and massive poverty in the entire region. Even though the drought starts with the deficit in rainfall, but it ultimately translates into hydrological drought which indicates the reduced water availability in the rivers and groundwater aquifers. The scientific analysis of the hydrological drought is one of the many primary necessity for the development of an effective drought management plan for a region. The hydrological drought characteristics have been evaluated for Bearma basin located in the Bundelkhand region using the variable threshold level approach. The dependable flow in the river at 75% dependability (Q75) for each month has been computed to arrive at the variable threshold level. It has been observed that hydrological droughts of varying severities occurred during 27 years out of the total period of analysis spanning 35 years from 1974-75 to 2008-09. The most severe hydrological droughts were observed during 1978-79 and 2002-03 with a combined severity of -238.26 MCM and -210.39 MCM respectively.

Spatiotemporal Analysis of Drought Characteristics in the Bundelkhand Region of Central India using the Standardized Precipitation Index

AbstractThe spatiotemporal variations of the drought scenario over the Bundelkhand region in central India have been studied using the standardized precipitation index (SPI) for the time scales of 3, 6, and 12 months. The space-time variability of the drought characteristics has been analyzed using the SPI, which is based only on long-term monthly rainfall data. From this analysis, it is determined that the frequency and severity of droughts have increased over the last decade in the Bundelkhand region and varied between once in 3 years and once in 5 years. The nonparametric Mann-Kendall test for trend analysis of climatic variables has been applied to investigate the regular occurrences of drought during the last few decades. The sign test indicates that there is a falling trend in the seasonal rainfall and number of rainy days in a few blocks. However, statistically significant falling trends at a 95% confidence level have been observed with the 3-month SPI for many blocks in the region, indicative of t...

Comprehensive evaluation of the changing drought characteristics in Bundelkhand region of Central India

The evaluation of meteorological and hydrological drought characteristics including the dry spell analysis for planning of supplemental irrigation has been carried out for Bearma basin in Bundelkhand region of Central India. The Bundelkhand region has been under a spell of recurrent droughts. In the last decade, widespread droughts were felt during 2002–2003 and 2007–2008. The drought frequency varies between 1 in 3 years in Rehli and Deori and 1 in 5 years in Hatta. Rehli and Deori blocks falling in Sagar district have been identified to be drought prone. The meteorological drought characteristics evaluated by standardized precipitation index (SPI) indicated that drought severity has increased greatly with the drought intensity varying between −1.22 in Deori and −0.97 in Rehli. The streamflow drought characteristics have been evaluated using streamflow drought index (SDI), whereas the groundwater drought characteristics evaluated by groundwater drought index (GDI). The maximum groundwater drought intensity is observed in Rehli (−0.44). Two critical dry spells (CDS) of 14–18 days invariably occur during the principal rainy months of July and August, for which provision of life-saving supplementary irrigation is essential for the rain-fed agriculture. A drought management plan (DMP) has been developed, based on basin relevant drought indicators and drought triggers, designed and fined tuned to actual drought conditions in the basin. Based on the supply and demand scenario during droughts, an appropriate drought response plan linked to prevailing drought levels has been developed, to effectively manage the scarce water resources during persistent drought scenario. Results of the study are quite promising and the concept of DMP can be replicated to other basins in the region taking into account the basin relevant indicators as necessary.

Spatio-temporal assessment of vulnerability to drought

This paper proposes a methodology for assessment of drought vulnerability at spatial and temporal scales using physiographic, climatic and hydrologic factors by integrating relative influence of different factors at the scale of hydrologic response units (HRUs). In the proposed methodology, an index termed as “Integrated Drought Vulnerability Index (IDVI)” is devised as an indicator of vulnerability to drought. The SWAT model has been applied to demarcate HRUs and estimation of soil moisture in the study basin. Spatial information of different influencing factors is categorized into various sub-classes, and maps have been prepared using ArcGIS. In this analysis, monthly rainfall departure is considered as climatic factor and Soil Moisture Deficit Index as hydrologic factor. The applicability of the proposed methodology is demonstrated on the Ken River basin, located in the Bundelkhand region in central India. Using the proposed methodology, maps showing spatial distribution of relative vulnerability to drought have been obtained at the level of HRU. The HRUs with higher value of IDVI represent the areas with relatively high degree of vulnerability to drought and vice versa. The maps thus obtained have been validated using the documented information. The present methodology provides better insight for drought mitigation actions.

Stochastic model for drought forecasting for Bundelkhand region in Central India

In the present study, standardized precipitation index (SPI) series at 3-month, 6-month, 9-month, 12-month and 24month time scale has been used to assess the vulnerability of meteorological drought in the Bundelkhand region of Central India. SPI values revealed that the droughts in the region over the study period vary from moderately high to extremely high. Suitable linear stochastic model, viz. seasonal and non-seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) developed to predict drought at different time scale. The best model was selected based on minimum Akaike Information Criterion (AIC) and Schwarz Bayesian Criterion (SBC). Statistical analysis revealed that non-seasonal ARIMA model was appropriate for 3-month SPI series while seasonal ARIMA models have been found promising for SPI series at 6-, 9,12 and 24-month time scale. Parameter estimation step indicates that the estimated model parameters are significantly different from zero. The predicted data using the best ARIMA model were compared to the observed data for model validation purpose in which the predicted data show reasonably good agreement with the actual data. Hence the models were applied to forecast drought in the Bundelhand region up to 3 months advanced with good accuracy.

Irrigation planning for sustainable rain-fed agriculture in the drought-prone Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, India

The recent spells of recurrent and consecutive droughts in the Bundelkhand region in Central India have led to uncertain rain-fed agriculture and its sustainability. Adequate knowledge of starting dates and lengths of dry spells has a considerable importance in rain-fed agriculture, irrigation planning, and various decision-making processes. The long dry spells incur heavy costs to the affected communities in the form of lost crop production and reduced crop yield, particularly in semi-arid regions. The sustainability of agriculture very much depends on the provision of supplemental irrigation during droughts, for which a detailed analysis of dry spells is a pre-requisite. An attempt has been made to study the temporal variation of dry spell lengths to identify whether it can be related to climate change. The dry spell analysis revealed that two critical dry spells with spell lengths of 10 days and more occurs invariably every year and therefore rain-fed agriculture needs adequate supplemental irrigation backup for sustainable operations under such a scenario. The supplemental irrigation requirements have been estimated for each critical dry spell period for all development blocks in each district, which will provide useful inputs to decision-makers for planning agricultural operations during an impending drought scenario.

Climate Change, Variability and Rainfall Probability for Crop Planning in Few Districts of Central India

Trend and climate change were studied in annual rainfall data for the period of 62 years (1949-2010) of Sagar and 65 years (1945-2010) of Damoh districts of Bundelkhand region of central India. The analysis of weekly rainfall probability was also carried out at both the locations for field operations and crop planning in rainfed agricultural system for improving the farmer’s livelihood. Mean annual rainfall was 1233.8 mm with 32.6% variability for Sagar and 1225.1 mm with 30.3% variability for Damoh region. Sagar and Damoh region exhibited significant decreasing trend in the total amount of annual rainfall in the last 15 years (1996 to 2010). Also, both locations showed significant long-term decreasing trend in annual rainfall. Climate of both the regions have changed as in the recent 15 years annual rainfall had decreased by 156.4 and 310.7 mm at Sagar and Damoh from their long period average (LPA), respectively. The Initial and conditional rainfall probability analysis at Damoh reinforced that Initial probabilities {P (W)} of getting 10 mm rainfall per week was 76% during 25th (18-24 June) SMW. Thus, the seed bed preparation could be initiated during this week. Initial as well as conditional probability of wet week followed by wet week {P(W/W} of getting 20 mm rainfall was more than 80% during 27th SMW (2-7 July) in Sagar district. Therefore, this week is most suitable for sowing operation in this district.

Construction of Rainwater Harvesting Structures and Economics of Crops in Parasai-Chhatpur Watershed in Bundelkhand Region of Central India

The study has ascertained the level of societal welfare achieved by the development of Parasai-Chhatpur watershed in Bundelkhad region of central India and has looked into the economics of this project. The study has revealed that after watershed interventions, the expenses on irrigation and labour will decrease, crop productivity will improve and benefit-cost ratio will increase. The economic analysis of different crops — wheat, groundnut, chickpea, sesamum, black gram and maize — cultivated in this watershed area has been presented along with employment generation potential in the area.

Impact of water management interventions on hydrology and ecosystem services in Garhkundar-Dabar watershed of Bundelkhand region, Central India

Summary Bundelkhand region of Central India is a hot spot of water scarcity, land degradation, poverty and poor socio-economic status. Impacts of integrated watershed development (IWD) interventions on water balance and different ecosystem services are analyzed in one of the selected watershed of 850 ha in Bundelkhand region. Improved soil, water and crop management interventions in Garhkundar-Dabar (GKD) watershed of Bundelkhand region in India enhanced ET to 64% as compared to 58% in untreated (control) watershed receiving 815 mm annual average rainfall. Reduced storm flow (21% vs. 34%) along with increased base flow (4.5% vs. 1.2%) and groundwater recharge (11% vs. 7%) of total rainfall received were recorded in treated watershed as compared to untreated control watershed. Economic Water productivity and total income increased from 2.5 to 5.0 INR m−3 and 11,500 to 27,500 INR ha−1 yr−1 after implementing integrated watershed development interventions in GKD watershed, respectively. Moreover IWD interventions helped in reducing soil loss more than 50% compared to control watershed. The results demonstrated that integrated watershed management practices addressed issues of poverty in GKD watershed. Benefit to cost ratio of project interventions was found three and pay back period within four years suggest economic feasibility to scale-up IWD interventions in Bundelkhend region. Scaling-up of integrated watershed management in drought prone rainfed areas with enabling policy and institutional support is expected to promote equity and livelihood along with strengthening various ecosystem services, however, region-specific analysis is needed to assess trade-offs for downstream areas along with onsite impact.