Total Basin Area Research Articles

Groundwater potential zones using a combination of geospatial technology and geophysical approach: case study in Dehradun, India

ABSTRACTA combination of geospatial, geophysical and statistical models using satellite data, the weighted index overlay (WIO) method and two-dimensional electrical resistivity tomography (2D-ERT) is applied to generate the highest potential groundwater area and to further explore the groundwater in Dehradun, India. The results show that of 19.7 km2 total basin area, 0.26% falls under the “poor” category as a prospect zone for groundwater, 4.3% is “moderate”, 10.10% “moderately good”, 4.9% “good” and 0.17% “very good”. In addition, the demonstration of the geophysical survey is presented, in which Purkal Youth Society Division (PYSD) site is categorized as a shallow aquifer zone and the Guru Nanak Fifth Centenary School (GNFCS) site is a deeper aquifer zone. Our study emphasizes remote sensing and geographic information system integrated with a geophysical survey to support prospecting the most probable area and confirm the existence of groundwater.

Geo-informatic spectrum analysis of land use change in the Manas River Basin, China during 1975-2015.

Geo-informatic spectrum analysis method was used to understand the complex geogra-phical phenomena concisely in graphic language. It is important for the integration research on spatial pattern and temporal process of land use change over multiple temporal and space scales. Based on remote sensing images in 1975, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015, we built the geo-spectrum of land use/cover change (LUCC) and quantitatively analyzed both the process and rend of LUCC in Manas River Basin. Results showed that the range of land use change in this basin was gradually decreasing, and land use structure tended to be simplistic, then tended to stable in later stage during 1975-1990. At the same period, the area of grassland increased greatly, which was mainly derived from unused land. The area of cultivated land expanded from 1990 to 2015, which mainly converted from unused land, forestland, and grassland. The geo-spectrum of land use change model showed that prophase change type, anaphase change type and continuous change type accounted for 1.3% of the total basin area. The overall characteristics of geo-spectrum unit were dominated by unused land converted to cultivated land, forestland and grassland. The land use change process was relatively stable. The Manas River Basin was covered 61.2% by region with comparatively stable spatial pattern. The most frequent way of land use change was increasingly expanding of cultivated land, which was displayed as: Liumaowan Bay Town of Shawan County and Liuhudi Town of Manas County were the center, then expanded to the two sides and spread to the Gurbantunggut Desert. The construct geo-spectrum of LUCC enriched the LUCC spatial-temporal analysis method system and provided an effective approach for the future research of LUCC under multiple temporal and spatial scales.

Modeling phosphorus sources and transport in a headwater catchment with rapid agricultural expansion

Increasing riverine phosphorus (P) levels in headwaters due to expanded and intensified human activities are worldwide concerns, because P is a well-known limiting nutrient for freshwater eutrophication. Here we adopt the conceptual framework of the SPAtially Referenced Regressions On Watershed attributes (SPARROW) model to describe total phosphorus (TP) sources and transport in a headwater watershed undergoing rapid agricultural expansion in the upper Taihu Lake Basin, China. Our models, which include variables for land cover, river length, runoff depth, and pond density, explain 94% of the spatio-temporal variability in TP loads. Agricultural lands contribute the largest percentage (61%) of the TP loads delivered downstream, followed by forestland (21%) and urban land (18%). Future agricultural expansion to 15% of the total basin area is possible, which could lead to a 50% increase in TP loads. According to our analysis, an average of 24% of the total P export from the watershed landscape was intercepted in ponds. The exported amount was subsequently retained by tributaries and along the mainstem river, accounting for 14% and 43% of their inflowing loads, respectively. The remaining ∼6 tons yr−1 of TP was eventually transported into Tianmu Lake, in Southeastern China. The model identified several sub-catchments as hotspots of TP loss and thus logical sites for targeted management. Our study underscores the significance of agricultural expansion as a factor that can exacerbate headwater TP pollution, highlighting the importance of landscapes to buffer TP losses from sensitive hilly catchments. This also points to a need for an integrated management strategy that considers the spatial-varying P sources and associated transport of TP in precious headwater resources.

Spatial interpolation approach-based appraisal of groundwater quality of arid regions

Abstract The primary objective was appraisal of groundwater quality during pre- and post-monsoon seasons for irrigation purposes. Good quality groundwater is required for high crop yields in arid regions. A total of 45 samples were collected from wells and analyzed in the laboratory for this research work. Different water quality parameters were determined from these samples, namely electrical conductivity (EC), sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), residual sodium carbonate (RSC), sodium percent (Na%), and permeability index (PI) during the pre- and post-monsoon season. The water types were identified through a Piper-trilinear diagram. Fifty per cent of the water samples of the total basin area fall under the saline category. The local farmers heavily rely on groundwater for the irrigation of crops. Excess use of groundwater for irrigation raises soil salinity. Some parts of the study area are facing serious problems such as loss of crop yields, and low availability of good quality groundwater even for drinking purposes. The results highlight that the study area has a high salinity content (C3) and low sodium (S1). The maps for different water quality parameters were generated using inverse distance weighted (IDW) interpolation method in ArcGIS 10.3 software.

GIS‐Based Surface Irrigation Potential Assessment for Ethiopian River Basin

AbstractThe suitability of the Dirma River Basin in Ethiopia for surface irrigation potential development and identification of potentially irrigable sites were the subject of the present study. The river basin area suitability was evaluated based on slope, soil and surface water resource availability using ArcGIS 10.1. Potentially suitable sites for surface irrigation development were evaluated for potato and tomato crops. The reference crop evapotranspiration, effective rainfall, net irrigation and gross irrigation water requirement were estimated using CROPWAT software. The results of the suitability model developed indicated that about 68.3% of the total river basin area falls in marginally to highly suitable categories for surface irrigation development. The water resource availability reveals that due to very high intra‐annual variability in river flows, only 6% of the mean annual flow is available for the period from January to May, and with this up to 30% of land that is suitable for surface irrigation can be irrigated. However, with suitable water storage infrastructure and deficit irrigation practices, utilization of land and water resources of the Dirma River Basin can be increased significantly. Therefore, this study will help decision makers, investors, planners and policymakers at the local, regional and national levels in better identification of profitable and sustainable irrigation investment opportunities in the region. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

MORPHOMETRIC CHARACTERIZATION OF THE HYDROGRAPHIC BASIN OF JAUQUARA RIVER IN THE TRANSITION BETWEEN THE CERRADO AND AMAZON BIOMES IN MATO GROSSO-BRAZIL

This study aimed to perform the Jauquara river watershed morphometric characterization. To watershed delimitation was used SRTM 30 type Digital Elevation Model (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, with spatial resolution of 30 m) provided by USGS Earth Explorer platform. The geographic information system used to watershed delimitation process and maps generation was ArcGIS 10.1 from ESRI®. The morphometric variables calculus was based on classic methodologies of Applied Hydrology. The watershed has an area of 1408,03 km2 and perimeter of 288,43 km with compactness coefficient and circularity index of Kc = 2.15 and Ic = 0.21, respectively, which show an elongated shape. The drainage was classified as 5th order, reinforcing the configuration of the drainage network with a wide hydric distribution. The predominant altitude range is between 368 and 552 m, which corresponds to an area of 478.10 km2. It was observed that there is a predominance of smooth-wavy and undulated reliefs (3-8%, 8-20% slope), which correspond to 38,05% and 23,04% of the total basin area respectively. The morphometric characterization of the basin made it possible to obtain unpublished information that contributes to the decision making regarding the effective water management in the studied area, being this a guiding study for other works

An analysis of characteristic discharges for the Adaim River (Iraq) in multiyear period

AbstractA major River Tigris tributary in Iraq, the Adaim River, has a Mediterranean river flow regime with a total basin area of 12,482 km2. The river catchment responds almost immediately to rainfall with apparently minimum storage (i.e. flashy stream). The river daily hydrograph showed a daily peak flow of 1,476 m3/s with substantial seasonal and random variability; the flow duration curve followed the two‐parameter lognormal probability distribution. Gamma and the two‐parameter Weibull probability distributions fitted the monthly mean river discharge for the period 1937–2012 well. Normal and gamma probability distributions were found to appropriately describe the distribution of the annual mean river discharge for the same period. Gumbel extreme value, Log Pearson type III, and the two‐parameter lognormal distributions gave a reasonable fit to the annual maximum discharge record for the river. A regression formula was used to fit the annual minimum discharge record, which has a significant number of zero values. There was a positive and significant correlation (r = 0.77) between the annual mean discharge at the measuring site and seasonal rainfall measured at Karkuk meteorological station located in the north central part of the basin. The rainfall record at Karkuk showed a significant decline in seasonal rainfall after 1993.

Investigation of Groundwater Potential Zones in Hard Rock Terrain, Wadi Na'man, Saudi Arabia.

In arid and hyper-arid zones, groundwater exploration is one of the most significant ways to locate potential new water supplies. Geophysical prospecting is currently the most successfully used method for locating new supplies, but it is rather costly. Satellite remote sensing (RS) detection, however, with its integration of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) provides the best chance for identifying and initially evaluating water-bearing formations. In the western part of Saudi Arabia, Wadi Na'man has for centuries been one of the major water sources for the city of Makkah Al-Mukarramah. It is therefore very important to find appropriate groundwater potential (GP) zones in this wadi for water supply. This study utilizes RS and GIS techniques, and also studies the hydrogeological, geological, and geomorphological characteristics that have significant impact on groundwater occurrence in Wadi Na'man. Representative layers are generated for each component and each given a weight ratio that depends on the level of influence. The overlay and integration of these thematic layers was used to produce a map that shows the most promising potential groundwater areas and classifies local potentials as either low, medium, or high. The results also reveal that the areas overall-rated as "promising" (i.e., classified as medium or high) represent approximately 17-25% of the total basin area and consist mainly of Quaternary sediments and connected fractured rock areas.

Evaluation and interpolation of rainfall trends over the semi-arid upper Godavari basin

Dams are the major source of water for irrigation in India. As a result, any variability in rainfall over the catchment area of dams leads to huge economic loss. It also triggers water-sharing conflicts. Hence, understating the variation in rainfall in association with dams becomes essential. For the present study, the upper Godavari basin, primarily representing the semi-arid region in India, is selected. To understand the rainfall variation, the Mann–Kendall trend test is employed after checking the homogeneity of the data. Using the inverse distance weighted technique, the monthly, seasonal and annual trends in rainfall are interpolated. These interpolated results are then superimposed over the location of the dams. The results depict that the rainfall decreases in June, while it increases in August for most of the stations. The highest increase in monsoon rainfall is experienced in Akole (11.7 mm/year), while Khuldabad has experienced the maximum decline (− 6.58 mm/year) in rainfall. When the spatial variability of annual rainfall is considered, it is mostly declining in the eastern part of the basin. This area of decreasing rainfall accounts for more than 35% of the total basin area. Around 34 dams with capacity of more than 0.5 MCM (million cubic meter) are situated here. As a result of declining rainfall, the water supply from these dams might get adversely affected. Hence, for the upper Godavari basin, based on the rainfall variability analysis, policies should focus on demand side management of water resources.

Basin-scale hydrology and sediment dynamics of the Kosi river in the Himalayan foreland

Hydrological and sediment transport characteristics for the Kosi basin, which covers parts of Nepal and India, were analysed to understand the spatiotemporal variability of the hydrology and sediment dynamics of the Kosi basin and its implications for flood hazard and sediment dynamics. The study revealed that ∼56% of the discharge at Chatara (where all major tributaries of the Kosi meet) is contributed from the western part of the basin even though this constitutes only 34% of the total basin area. In contrast, the central and eastern parts of the basin constitute 57% and 8% of the basin area but contribute ∼38% and ∼16% of the discharge at Chatara, respectively. The contribution of sediment load at Chatara from the different tributaries of the Kosi River also shows a similar pattern. Of a total of ∼100 million tonnes of the annual sediment load at Chatara, ∼56% is transported from four tributaries: the Indrawati, Bhote Kosi, Tama Kosi (all draining from the west), and Tamor. The remaining ∼44% is transported by other tributaries upstream of Chatara, the most important being the Arun, Dudh Kosi, and Sun Kosi. Sediment budgeting in this study, based on annual sediment load data, suggested that ∼20 million tonnes of sediments are deposited between Chatara and Birpur annually. This study also found that ∼53 million tonnes of sediments are being accommodated between Birpur and Baltara annually. Sediment dynamics in the Kosi basin emerges as the most important river management issue, and this is closely linked to channel instability and frequent flooding in the alluvial plains.

Assessing Satellite-Based Precipitation Products to Create Flood Forecasting in the Da River Basin, Vietnam

The Da River Basin is an international basin where available access to hydrological data is limited; it has a total basin area of 52,900 km2, about 50% of the area in which it is located, Vietnam. The Da River is the primary source of water for agriculture in 25 provinces and cities, and the primary source of drinking water for more than 30 million people in both urban and rural areas. It has huge economic and historical value. However, flood forecasting for the Da River basin has not been adequately addressed yet because of the challenge of the inconsistency, scarcity, poor spatial representation, as well as difficult access and incompleteness of the availability of ground observed rainfall data. In this research, the IFAS model has been utilized to assess the benefits of using satellite-based precipitation products to create flood forecasting for the whole research area. The results showed that the Integrated Flood Analysis System (IFAS) model was able to integrate the satellite-based precipitation products for simulating the flood event in the Da River basin. Also, the 3B42RT algorithm showed a definite improvement in reproducing the flood peak and low flow very well in the research area. These results could be used to enhance the effectiveness of flood management strategy in the basin.

Social equity shapes zone-selection: Balancing aquatic biodiversity conservation and ecosystem services delivery in the transboundary Danube River Basin

Freshwater biodiversity is declining, despite national and international efforts to manage and protect freshwater ecosystems. Ecosystem-based management (EBM) has been proposed as an approach that could more efficiently and adaptively balance ecological and societal needs. However, this raises the question of how social and ecological objectives can be included in an integrated management plan. Here, we present a generic model-coupling framework tailored to address this question for freshwater ecosystems, using three components: biodiversity, ecosystem services (ESS), and a spatial prioritisation that aims to balance the spatial representation of biodiversity and ESS supply and demand. We illustrate this model-coupling approach within the Danube River Basin using the spatially explicit, potential distribution of (i) 85 fish species as a surrogate for biodiversity as modelled using hierarchical Bayesian models, and (ii) four estimated ESS layers produced by the Artificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services (ARIES) platform (with ESS supply defined as carbon storage and flood regulation, and demand specified as recreation and water use). These are then used for (iii) a joint spatial prioritisation of biodiversity and ESS employing Marxan with Zones, laying out the spatial representation of multiple management zones. Given the transboundary setting of the Danube River Basin, we also run comparative analyses including the country-level purchasing power parity (PPP)-adjusted gross domestic product (GDP) and each country's percent cover of the total basin area as potential cost factors, illustrating a scheme for balancing the share of establishing specific zones among countries. We demonstrate how emphasizing various biodiversity or ESS targets in an EBM model-coupling framework can be used to cost-effectively test various spatially explicit management options across a multi-national case study. We further discuss possible limitations, future developments, and requirements for effectively managing a balance between biodiversity and ESS supply and demand in freshwater ecosystems.

Land use/land cover dynamics using landsat data in a gold mining basin-the Ankobra, Ghana

The Ankobra River basin, which forms part of the Southern-Western River System of Ghana, has become a hub for both large and small-scale mining activities. Some of the activities of these mines threatens the sustainability of its resources in the basin. A study in the basin which focuses on changes in LULC patterns in the basin over the past years is therefore paramount to understand the changes that has taken place and its potential impact on resources in the basin. This study assessed the pattern of Land use/cover changes, and the possible drivers of change, in the basin. The study used multi-spectral Landsat images of 30 m resolution for the years 1991, 2002, 2008 and 2016. The Semi-Automatic Classification Plugin (SCP) in QGIS was used for atmospheric correction, image classification using the spectral angle mapping algorithm, and post processing. The overall difference between the reference and the classified map of 2016 was 5.5% with the overall quantity, exchange and shift components as 1.5%, 3% and 1% respectively. Findings from the study show that, the Ankobra River basin has witnessed noticeable changes over the 25-year study period. Closed forest which occupied 40.4% of the total basin area in 1991 reduced drastically to 22.8% in 2016. The dominant LULC change patterns in the basin are from Closed Forest to Open Forest; Open Forest to Farmland, Settlement/Bare land and Mining Area; and the increase in surface area of Water consequently resulting from the increase in Mining Area. Mining activities, particularly illegal mining was identified to be the dominant driver of deforestation in the Ankobra Basin between the years 2008 and 2016 where mining activities in the basin sharply increased.

The Nile Basin waters and the West African rainforest: Rethinking the boundaries

This focus article presents the state of the West African rainforest (WARF), its role in atmospheric moisture transport to the Nile Basin, and the potential impact of its deforestation on the Nile Basin's water regime, as well as options for improving transboundary water governance. The Nile is the longest river in the world, but delivers less water per unit area than other major rivers. Pressures from the Basin's rapidly growing population and agricultural demand risk exacerbating transboundary water conflicts. About 85% of the surface water reaching Aswan in Egypt originates from the Ethiopian Highlands which comprise less than 10% of the Nile Basin's total area (3.3 million km2). Some of the atmospheric moisture reaching the Highlands crosses over the WARF; other moisture source areas include the Mediterranean Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean. The WARF adds atmospheric moisture and modifies the regional climate system. Deforestation in the WARF has the potential to alter rainfall patterns over the Ethiopian Highlands and thus flows in the Nile River, with reductions a likely outcome. Transregional governance that looks beyond basin boundaries to the sources and routes of moisture transport (the precipitationshed) has yet to be integrated into land–atmosphere and water management negotiations. To better achieve sustainable land management and water resource development in the Nile Basin, scientific and governance frameworks need to be established that include the WARF region states in the ongoing negotiations between the Nile riparian states.This article is categorized under: Engineering Water > Planning Water Human Water > Water Governance Science of Water > Water and Environmental Change

Groundwater Potential Mapping in a Rural River Basin by Union (OR) and Intersection (AND) of Four Multi-criteria Decision-Making Models

Targeting groundwater in the river basin like Chandrabhaga with seasonal drought is a very urgent task especially for mitigating irrigation demand during the non-monsoon period. This paper delineated suitable groundwater potential zones based on the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), modified AHP, PCA-based weight and knowledge-based weight of multiple input parameters. For providing more certainty of the target zones in the derived models, union and intersection of all models were performed. A GIS-based multi-criteria approach using 13 relevant parameters has been adopted in this work. From the first four models, it is found that very suitable areas vary from 7.5 to 11% of the total basin area. The union and intersection models of the four individual models, respectively, delineated 13.91% and 3.69% suitable areas. Among the six models, the average yield of groundwater (5.96 L/s) is maximum in case of the intersection model, which is, therefore, more reliable than others. In case of the union model, the suitable area has 0.2 L/s less average yield than the intersection model. Therefore, for the harvesting more water, very good potential area delineated in the intersection model can be targeted. All these models will nevertheless help decision-makers to judge whether the existing groundwater harvesting structures are located properly or whether reorientation is needed.

Assessing the role of hydrological modifications on land use/land cover dynamics in Punarbhaba river basin of Indo-Bangladesh

Punarbhaba river basin (length 160 km. and area 5265.93 km2) of India and Bangladesh experienced a solemn hydrological paradigm alteration due to installation of Komardanga dam (1992) and other forms of water lifting and diversions from this river. Consequently, maximum and average water level in the downstream part of dam has been lessened by 32.34 and 36.74% correspondingly. Such flow reduction also causes shrinking of flood-prone area, shallowing of water bodies and lateral wetland disconnectivity from Main River. The main aim of the present paper is to focus on the land use/land cover change in reference to the changing hydrological regime. Supervised pixel- and object-based image classification has been carried out to show the nature of LULC dynamics for pre- and post-dam phases. The findings of the classified images stated that agricultural land and built-up area has been progressively amplified in the altered hydrological milieu and episodic decline of wetland areas is noticeable in this river basin. In pre-dam phase (up to 1989), agriculture land area was 59.19% to total basin area and it has become 84.2% in 2015 (post-dam period). Similarly, spatial extent of water body was 4.49% in former phase and it is reduced to 1.26% in later phase. Balance in LULC is obligatory for the sake ecologically healthy society.

Assessment of Runoff Pattern and Relationship to Sediment Yield of Bhagirathi–Alaknanda River Basin Using Geospatial Techniques

Erosion has been as a major issue in Bhagirathi and Alaknanda river basins due to high surface runoff. The river basins are located in the Uttarakhand state of India and have a total basin area of 19,066.5 km2. Sediment yield has been estimated and then correlated with the surface runoff using geospatial techniques during the period 2000–2015. Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) has been used to estimate the sediment yield. All required layers for assessment of runoff and sediment yield has been prepared in a geographical information system environment. Tropical Rain Measuring Mission (TRMM) rainfall data (0.25° × 0.25°), Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) runoff data (0.25° × 0.25°), Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) elevation data (30 m), and Landsat 5 and Landsat 8 satellite images (30 m) have been used to prepare rainfall maps, runoff maps, relief maps, and land use/land cover maps respectively. The study has shown that the sediment yield, as well as runoff, has a non-monotonic trend during 2000 to 2015. The highest runoff has been observed in the year 2013 whereas minimum runoff was in the year 2009. Correspondingly, the highest and lowest sediment yields were observed in the years 2013 and 2009 respectively. The northern part of the catchment was observed to be more vulnerable with respect to high sediment yield as well as runoff. As a whole, both river basins have a strong positive correlation between sediment yield and runoff with R2 values of 0.8. With respect to the findings, it can be concluded that some of the reservoirs for hydropower projects within these river basins may be in danger in the near future due to high sediment yields.

Impact of climate variability, drainage and land-cover changes on hemiboreal streamflow

ABSTRACTThe aim of the study was to determine the effects of climate variability, agricultural land drainage and afforestation of agricultural land on river discharge. The study was conducted in the Vienziemīte stream basin (6 km2), where discharge was monitored on a daily basis during the time period of 1946–2010. In the stream basin, natural afforestation of agricultural land began in the 1950s, and in the mid-1970s artificial drainage systems were installed in all agricultural land (70% of the total basin area). Climate variability and artificial drainage were the main factors observed to be affecting stream discharge. The changes were most evident in annual and seasonal mean, minimum and maximum streamflow. There was no effect of afforestation of agriculture land on stream discharge.

Land Use Planning for Conservation Measures of Basin Using Remote Sensing and GIS Approach: A Case Study

Geographical information system proves efficient tool in delineation of watersheds and its planning. Land use planning through Land capability is the basis of watershed management programme. Land use planning for conservation measures of Basin using Remote Sensing and GIS Approach for Sukhana Basin of Aurangabad District, Maharashtra state has been carried out. Study area is located between 75.33°, 75.76° E longitudes, and 19.66°, 19.98° N latitudes. Class suitable for cultivation are II, III and IV have areal extent 134.41, 150.12 and 165.80 sq.Km. which is 67.32% of the total basin area and class VI and VII are not suitable for cultivation has areal extent 101.68 respectively which is 32.68% of the total area. Based on land capability classification, land use planning with reference to conservation planning for Class II,III,IV are gully control measures, farm bunding such as compartment bunding, contour bunding and graded bunding. Whereas, for class VI measures are continuous contour trenches and staggered trenching and for class VII treatment propose a pasture development.

Geoinformatics for assessing the inferences of quantitative drainage morphometry of the Narmada Basin in India

Geoinformatics-based morphological studies play a significant role in planning, designing, and development of river engineering structures. Quantitative morphometric parameters affect catchment streamflow pattern through their influence on concentration time, and geomorphic characteristics of a drainage basins play a vital role in controlling the basin’s hydrology. In the present paper, an effort has been made to assess the inferences of various linear, areal, drainage, and relief aspects of quantitative morphometric characteristics of the Narmada basin and its down (13) and upper watersheds (17) using ASTER DEM data in GIS platform. Total basin area of the Narmada is about 98,796 km2, and it is identified that the study area is an eighth order drainage basin. A total 31,211 stream segments including the Narmada river are identified, and it is clear that the cumulative stream length is higher in first-order streams and decreases as the stream order increases. The bifurcation ratio (Rb) of the Narmada basin is varied from 2 to 9, and it designates that the drainage pattern of the basin has been affected by the structural disturbances. The lowest value of elongation ratio in the basin indicates high relief and steep slope, while highest value specifies relatively plain land with low relief and low slope than other down watersheds. Sinuosity index of Narmada basin is 1.58, which shows that the Narmada river is meandering in nature.