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INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES Volume 6, No 4, 2015

© Copyright by the authors - Licensee IPA- Under Creative Commons license 3.0

Research article ISSN 0976 – 4402

Received on December 2015 Published on January 2016 429

Characterization of hydro geological behavior of the upper watershed of

River Subarnarekha through Morphometric analysis using Remote

Sensing and GIS approach Pipas Kumar1, Varun Joshi2

1-Research Scholar, University School of Environment Management, Guru Gobind Singh

Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India

2-Associate Prof., University School of Environment Management, Guru Gobind Singh

Indraprastha University, New Delhi, India

[email protected]

doi:10.6088/ijes.6049

ABSTRACT

The investigation of geo hydrological features of drainage basin is necessary for planning and

implementation of various watershed development programmes. The visual interpretation

techniques coupled with morphometric analysis is used in the present study to evaluate the

geomorphic process of upper watershed of river Subarnarekha in the state of Jharkhand, India.

Various spatial information is extracted with the help of remote sensing and GIS techniques,

which provided an understanding of precise scenario related to basin development.

Morphometric analysis reveals that the upper watershed of River Subernarekha is of eighth

order with dendritic drainage pattern. The study also concludes that the geomorphic

development of drainage basin is highly affected by slope and elevation, whereas the

development of stream segments is affected by rainfall pattern and infiltration. The mean

bifurcation ratio of the basin is 5.62 that is an indicator of flash flooding during the heavy

rain and storm. The DEM reveal that the lowest basin elevation is of 48 metre in the plains

and highest of 1,043 mt in the plateau region. The ruggedness number of 0.78 indicates steep

slope of the basin. The value of elongation ratio in the study area is found to be 0.64

indicating relatively moderate relief and elongated shape. Based on drainage frequency and

density analysis, the basin has moderate to low surface run off and high infiltration capacity.

The subsoil is permeable indicating good groundwater recharge rate. This study will help the

policy makers for watershed prioritization and identification of ground water potential zones.

Keywords: Subarnarekha, Ranchi, Morphometric, watershed, drainage.

1. Introduction

Watershed management plays a significant role in restoration of ecological balance, sustained

growth and development of an area. It directly affects water balance component of

ecosystems, which helps in ground water recharge and growth of natural vegetation. It is very

much important for the countries, like India, which is mainly dependent on monsoon rainfall.

The best management practices can address the issue of drought, flood, excessive runoff,

poor infiltration and soil erosion. The challenges in the implementation of watershed

management lie at the sub-watershed and micro-watershed level due to unavailability and

variability of precise data related to topography, precipitation, surface run off, etc, The hydro-

geological component like morphology, surface run-off, soil texture, landform, etc. plays an

important role in devising a plan for integrated watershed management of an area.

Morphometry is the mathematical analysis of the configuration of the earth’s surface, shape

Characterization of hydro geological behavior of the upper watershed of river Subarnarekha through

morphometric analysis using remote sensing and GIS approach

Pipas Kumar, Varun Joshi

International Journal of Environmental Sciences Volume 6 No.4 2015 430

and dimensions of its landforms (Clarke, 1996). Morphometric analysis helps in planning and

prioritization at the micro-watershed level for effective development of management plans.

Renowned geomorphologist like Strahler, Schumm, Morisawa, Scheidegger, Shreve, Gregory,

Gregory, Walling, etc carried some of the pioneering work in the field of drainage basin

morphometry. Stream network of any basin represents the surface water hydrological

characteristics with reference to its climatic condition, relief and geological features (Reddy

et al., 2004). It can be applied to describe the geomorphological feature of the area, to

compare basins of different sizes, evaluation of surface and groundwater potential (Hajam et

al., 2013). The integration of scientific and technological know-how, like, use of remote

sensing and GIS technology, various statistical tools, etc in morphometric analysis has

enhanced the success rate of any watershed development program. In India, researchers have

carried out various geohydrological studies pertaining to the resource planning and watershed

management (Chalam et al., 1996; Pakhmode et al., 2003; Rekha et al., 2006).

Morphometric analysis integrated with remote sensing and GIS is adopted to study the soil

degradation of various watersheds (Jain and Kothyari, 2000; Sekhar and Rao, 2002). The

study of the groundwater potential zoning of watershed using remote sense data is carried out

for various landforms (Krishnamurthy et al., 1995; Shahid et al., 2000; Avinash et al., 2014,).

Manju and George (2014) carried out critical evaluation and assessment through the

calculation of morphometric parameters of Vagamon and Peermade sub-watersheds of Kerala

by using Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System techniques. The artificial

recharge sites in Manchi basin, Eastern Rajasthan is also identified using morphometric

parameters calculation (Rais and Javed, 2014). Similarly, Kanak et al., (2014) computed

morphometric characteristics of the Lonar nala watershed in Akola district, Maharashtra.

(Gowhar et al., 2015) used morphometric variables in GIS environment to study the

watershed characteristics on the flood vulnerability of Jhelum basin in Kashmir Himalaya.

The statistical techniques like cluster and principal component analysis (PCA) are applied to

different-size watersheds utilizing various morphometric variables. (Dhruvesh et al., 2015;

Ali M Subyani et al., 2012). Some new techniques like weighted sum analysis (WSA) is

applied in the fragile arid and semi-arid tropics of Pimpalgaon Ujjaini village, Maharastra for

watershed prioritization (Aher et. al., 2014). Semi-quantitative method of the sediment yield

index (SYI) model for watershed prioritization is also used in many studies. (Mosbahi et al.,

2012; Jang et al., 2013). Hydrological modeling approach has defined a new dimension in

integrating the result of morphometric analysis data into simpler decision-making system.

Mishra et al., (2007) used Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) in small multi-vegetated

watershed to quantify the effect of land use/cover properties.

2. Study area

The Subarnarekha river in the state of Jharkhand, cover an area of 12831.12 Km2. (Figure1).

In Indian language, the river name “Subarnarekha” is a combination of two words meaning

“streak of gold”. As per tradition, gold was mined near the origin of the river. The river

Subarnarekha originates in the village named Piskanagri, near Ranchi, the capital of state

Jharkhand, India. After origin, the river flows through Ranchi, East Singhbhum, Saraikela

Kharsawa districts of Jharkhand, West Medniapore district of state West Bengal and Balasore

district of state Odisha, before reaching the Bay of Bengal. Its main tributaries are Kanchi,

Karkari, Kharkai, Raru, Garru, Dulang. The geographic extension of the study area is

latitude 23° 18' N and longitude 85° 11' E. This area is represented on Survey of India (SoI)

topographical map no. 73 E (1: 2, 50,000). This region is predominately called as

Chhotanagpur plateau that is characterized by numerous small streams and isolated hills and





mountains and absence of any perennial river. The geography of the Subarnarekha basin

chiefly consists of undulating plateaus, uplands and some flat plains with deposits of red and

laterite soil. The river course consists of gorges and waterfalls with exposed rocks of granite,

genesis, pegamatite (Gupta et. al., 2004). The sediment's erosion and transportation is

affected by the meandering of the river. This region is represented by exposed earth’s surface

due to removal of super-incumbent load of overlaying rocks through continued erosion.

(Rasool et. al., 2011).

According to Köppen Climate Classification, this area is classified as “Humid Subtropical”

which is characterized by hot summer from March to May and dry and cold winter during the

month of November to February. The mean monthly temperature varies from 40.5° C in the

month of May to 9.00 ° C in December whereas annual average maximum and minimum

temperatures vary from 32.4° C to 18.0°C respectively (Gupta et. al., 2004). This basin

receives its rainfall from South-West monsoon, which starts from June and ends in October.

The average annual rainfall for the basin is around 1800 mm (Gupta et. al., 2004). Vast cover

of exposed granite represents the rocky terrain of the area with the presence of gravel and

pebbles. The gravels are mostly fluviate in origin. 'The presences of fractured rocks are

representative of potential aquifers at deeper levels. The ground water occurs under semi

confined to confined conditions and is being exploited through bore wells, dug well and open

ponds. Laterite and well-drained loamy soils dominates the region, which is a mixture of

hydro oxides of iron and aluminum and weathering product of rocks.

Figure 1: Location of Subarnarekha River basin in state Jharkhand, India

3. Methodology: Input data and source

In the present study, to achieve the goals of morphometric analysis, remote sensing and GIS

techniques, survey of India topographical maps are used extensively for the extraction of

drainage pattern. The remote sensing data dated 20th April 2015 (path-140, row-44 and path-

139, row-44) which represent the study area is downloaded from freely available site i.e,

https://www.landsat.org. These data are then processed in Erdas Imagine 9.0 of Leica

Geosystems and ARC GIS 10.1. The techniques and tools, like, image enhancement,

radiometric correction, transformation, classification and spatial analysis are used to derive

various geo hydrological information of the study area. The elevation pattern plays an

important role in providing information about the river drainage system. The elevation data at

a resolution of 90 m acquired through the shuttle radar topography mission (SRTM) available





for the globe is downloaded from the http://srtm.usgs.gov/data/obtaining.html (dated 20th

April 2015) and processed in ARC GIS 10.1 using hydrology tool (Rabus et al., 2003).

Based on the data, the slope, aspects and other required information are extracted to prepare

base maps. According to the digital elevation model (DEM), the study area shows the lowest

elevation of 48 mt and the highest elevation of 1043 mt (Figure 2a). The trunk stream

network (Figure 2b) is extracted with the help of hydrology tools of ARC GIS 10.1. Apart

from this, the comprehensive ground survey is also conducted to incorporate ground truth

inputs in preparation of base and drainage maps.

Figure 2a,b: Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of upper watershed of River Subarnarekha,

Trunk stream network of upper watershed of River Subarnarekha

Table 1: Method of calculating linear aspects of the drainage basin

S.no Parameters Symbol Formula Reference

1 Stream length Lu Length of the stream Horton (1945)

2 Stream order Nu Hierarchical Rank Strahler (1964)

3 Bifurcation

ratio Rb

Rb = Nu / Nu +1

Nu = No. of stream segments of a

given order

Nu +1= No. of stream segments of

next higher order.

Schumm (1956)

4 Stream length

ratio RL

RL = Lu / Lu -1

Lu = total stream length of order

‘u’,

Lu -1= the total stream length of

its next lower order

Horton (1945)

5 Length of

overland flow Lg

Lg = 1/D* 2 where Lg = length of

overland flow, D = drainage

density

Horton (1945)

6 Length of the

main channel Lm

Length along longest water course

from the outflow point of to the

upper limit of

catchment boundary

Horton (1945)

7 Mean stream

length Lsm Lsm = Lu / Nu Strahler (1964)

8 Basin length Lb Distance between outlet and Ratnam et al.,





farthest point on the basin

boundary

(2005)

9 Basin

perimeter P

Length of the watershed divide

which surrounds the basin Horton (1945)

Table 2: Method of calculating relief aspects of drainage basin


1 Basin Relief R

Maximum vertical distance

between the lowest and highest

points on the valley floor of a

watershed

H = Z – z

Where, Z = Maximum elevation

of the basin (m)

z = Minimum elevation of the

basin (m)

Schumm

(1956)

2 Basin Relief

Ratio Rh

Rh = H / Lbmax

Where, H = Maximum basin

relief (m)

Lbmax = Maximum basin length

(m)

Schumm (1956)

3 Ruggedness

number Rn

Rn = Maximum basin relief (H)

*drainage density (D) Melton (1958)

4 Dissection

index DI

DI = H /Ra

Where, H = basin relief (m)

Ra = Absolute relief (m)

Magesh et al.,

(2012)

5 Channel

gradient Cg

Cg = H/{(Pi)*Cp}

Where, H= Basin relief (m)

Cp= logest dimension parallel to

trunk drainage line

Prasad et

al.,(2008)

Table 3: Method of calculating aerial aspects of drainage basin


1 Drainage Density Dd

(Km/Km2 )

Dd = Lµ/A

Where, Dd = Stream

density

Lµ = Total stream length of

all orders

A = Area of the basin

(Km2).

Horton (1932)

2 Drainage

Frequency Ds

Ds = Nµ/A

Where, Fs = Stream

frequency.

Nµ = Total no. of streams

of all orders

A = Area of the basin

(Km2).

Horton (1932)

3 Drainage Texture Dt Fs = Nµ /P

Where, Nµ = No. of Horton (1945)





streams in a given order P

= Perimeter (Km)

4 Form Factor Rf

Rf = A/Lb2

Where, A = Area of the

basin and

Lb2 = Maximum basin

length

Horton (1932)

5 Constant Channel

Maintenance C

C = 1/ Dd

D= Drainage density Schumm (1956)

6 Circulatory Ratio Rc Rc = 4 * Pi * A/P2 Miller (1953)

7 Compactness

Constant Cc Cc = 0.2821 P/A 0.5 Horton (1945)

8 Infiltration

number Ig

Ig = Dd × Ds

Where, Dd = Drainage

density (Km/Km2)

Ds = Drainage frequency.

Zavoiance

(1985)

9 Elongation Ratio Re Re = √(4*A/p)/Lb Schumm (1956)

Figure 3: Detailed stream network of upper watershed of River Subarnarekha





4. Result and discussion

Based on the formula suggested for morphometric analyses by various works (Table 1-3) for

different parameters following results are obtained.

4.1 Linear aspects

Linear aspects of the basins are closely linked with the channel patterns of the drainage

network (Clarke, 1996). The calculated values of linear aspects (Table:4-8) of morphometric

analysis of basin include stream order (U), stream length (Lµ), mean stream length (Lsm), and

bifurcation ratio (Rb), stream length ratio (RL), Length of overland flow (Lg).

4.1.1 Stream order (U)

Figure 4: Stream order- Stream number relationship of upper watershed of River

Subarnarekha

Horton's (1945) method modified by Strahler’s (1952) is applied to branch stream network as

different stream order. The Strahler’s system of classification is a slight modification of

Horton’s system of classification. In this system of classification, the smallest, un-branched

fingertip streams are designated as 1st order, the confluence of two 1st order streams gives

stream of 2nd order; two 2nd order streams join to form a stream of 3rd order and so on. This

way all successive streams join and forms stream of next order. The trunk stream is the

stream segment of the highest order. As per the Strahler’s (1964) ordering scheme, the

Subarnarekha watershed in Jharkhand is eight-order stream. The main river stream joined by

the major tributaries from its both banks resulting in the increase of stream order. The

increase in stream order directly affects the size of the river basin. The selected study area has

a size of 12831.12 Km2. The numerous Ist order stream are said to be formed by the

continuous erosion of the river banks. Drainage pattern of stream network from the basin

have been observed as mainly of dendritic type, which indicates the homogeneity in texture

(Rastogi, 1976). It is characterized by irregular branching of tributary stream in many

different directions with different angle. They are mostly found on the area having horizontal

sedimentary rocks or massive igneous rocks of uniform resistance that lacks structural control.





4.1.2 Stream length (Lu)

Figure 5: Stream Order- Stream Length relationship of upper watershed of River

Subarnarekha

Horton’s second law suggests that, the total length of stream segments is maximum in first

order streams and decreases with the increase in stream order (figure 5). The stream of

relatively smaller length is characteristics of areas with larger slopes and finer texture, where

as the streams which are relatively longer, indicate a flatter gradient. The attribute table of the

stream network as obtained from the analysis of digital elevation model of the study area is

used to compute and calculate the stream length.

4.1.3 Stream number (Nµ)

The count of stream channels in a given order is known as stream number (Reddy, 2004).

Stream number is directly proportional to the size of the total drainage basin area. The total

count of the stream segment (Table 5) is found to decrease as the stream order increase in the

basin. A higher stream number indicates a high rate of infiltration and less permeability to

soil. A graph between stream order and stream number (figure 4) show shows a negative

correlation. This implies that there is decrease in geometric progression of the stream as the

order of stream increases.

4.1.4 Stream length ratio (RL)

Stream length ratio is estimated as the ratio of mean stream length of any given order (u) to

the predecessor order of mean stream segment length (u_1). The variation of stream length

ratio between successive stream orders is due to the differences in slope and topographic

conditions. It also shows a significant relationship between the surface flow discharge and the

erosional stage of the basin. This erosion pattern over a long period of time also indicates the

geomorphic development stages of the basin.





4.1.5 Length of overland flow

It represents the total length of flow of water over the ground surface before it becomes

concentrated in specific stream channels. The surface water moves over the land and traces a

particular stream channel whose characteristics depends on the steepness of the slope and

land cover. Horton (1945) defined length of overland flow as the length, projected to the

horizontal, of non-channel flow from a point on the drainage divide to a point on the stream

channel. The geo-hydrological development of the drainage basin is greatly affected by the

length of overland flow. The value obtained is 0.23 which indicates that the basin is

elongated having high length of stream channels.

4.1.6 Bifurcation ratio (Rb)

The bifurcation ratio is calculated as ratio of the number of stream segments of a given order

to the number of segments of the next higher order. Horton (1945) considered the bifurcation

ratio as an index of relief and dissections. Strahler (1957) demonstrated that the bifurcation

ratio shows a small range of variation in different regions or different environmental

conditions, except where the geology dominates. As per the Horton (1945) bifurcation ratio,

having a less value about 2 to 3 is of the flat region. In the present study area, bifurcation

ratio is 5.64. High bifurcation ratio is an indicator of flash flooding during the heavy rain and

storm events in the areas (Gupta et. al., 2004).

Table 4: Drainage network parameters of upper watershed of River Subarnarekha

Table 5: Stream numbers in different orders of upper watershed of River Subarnarekha

Stream

Order 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Total

Total no. of

stream 5586 2627 1016 330 70 3 2 1 9653

Table 6: Bifurcation ratio of upper watershed of River Subarnarekha

1/2 2/3 3/4 4/5 5/6 6/7 7/8 Total Mean

2.13 2.59 3.08 4.71 23.33 1.50 2.00 39.34 5.62

4.2 Relief aspects

The relief aspects include total relief (H), relief ratio (Rh), relative relief and ruggedness

number (Rn). Based on geophysical and topographic conditions of the terrain, relief aspects

(Table 9) is used for the evaluation of the direction of stream flow and represent the

denudation progression occurring within the watershed (Rasool. et al., 2014)

S.no Parameters Value

1 Basin Area (Km2) 12831.12

2 Basin Perimeter (Km) 1233.89

3 Basin Length (Km) 198

4 Length of overland flow (Lg) 0.23





Table 7: Order wise total stream length (Km) of upper watershed of River Subarnarekha

Stream

Order 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Total

Total

length

of

stream

6226

.61

3162.

48

1585.

96

652.

11

491.

62

211.

21

107.

14

98.9

9

10113.

02

Table 8: Stream length ratio of upper watershed of River Subarnarekha

2/1 3/2 4/3 5/4 6/5 7/6 8/7

0.51 0.50 0.41 0.75 0.43 0.51 0.92

Table 9: Relief aspects

S.no Parameter Calculated Value

1 Maximum elevation 1043 m

2 Minimum elevation 48 m

3 Basin relief (H) 995 m

4 Basin relief ratio (Rh) 5.27

5 Ruggedness number (Rn) 2.15

6 Channel gradient (Cg) 3.2 m/km

4.2.1 Basin relief (H)

Basin relief helps the characterizing the details of geomorphic processes and landform. It is

the elevation difference between the lowest and the highest point on the watershed. The

lowest basin relief of 48 m is observed in the plains and highest of 1,043 m in the plateau

region dominated by scattered mountainous structures.

4.2.2. Basin relief ratio (Rh)

Relief ratio (Rh) measures the overall steepness of a drainage basin and is an indicator of the

intensity of the erosional process operating on the slope of the basin (Schumn, 1956). There

is a direct relationship between the relief and the gradient of the channel. High relief ratio of

the basin is an indicator of the hilly region. The value obtained for the study area is 5.27 that

indicate steep to moderate slope. It can also be ascertained that this region is predominantly

dominated by plateau with undulating landforms and rocky remains of granite.

4.2.3. Ruggedness number (Rn)

It is the product of maximum basin relief (H) and drainage density (Dd), where both

parameters are in the same unit, Strahler (1957). Extreme values of ruggedness number occur

when both variables are large, when slope is not only steep but long as well (Strahler, 1958).

In the present study, the value of ruggedness number is 0.78 indicating a steep slope.





4.2.4. Channel gradient (Cg)

This feature reflects the altitudinal variation of channel surface. The average fall of the basin

is 3.2 m/km in downward direction. It means that the slope of mean channel decreases with

increasing stream order. This testifies to the validity of Horton’s Law of stream slopes, which

defines the relationship between the slope of the streams and their orders, which can be

expressed by an inverse geometric series law (Hajam et al., 2013).

4.3. Areal aspect

The areal aspects (Table 10) determine various relationships between stream area, its length,

basin shape, etc. It includes drainage density (Dd), drainage frequency (Fs), texture ratio (Rt),

form factor (Rf), constant channel maintenance (Cm), circulatory ratio (Rc), compactness

constant (Cc), Infiltration number (Ig), elongation ratio (Re). The various areal parameters of

the stdy area is obtained using the formula as suggested in Table 3.

Table 10: Areal aspects

S.no Parameters Calculated Value

1 Drainage density (Dd) 0.98

2 Drainage frequency (Ds) 0.75

3 Drainage texture (Rt) 4.53

4 Form factor (Rf) 0.45

5 Constant channel maintenance (Cm) 1.02

6 Circulatory ratio (Rc) 0.21

7 Compactness constant (Cc) 3.07

8 Infiltration number (Ig) 0.73

9 Elongation ratio (Re) 0.64

4.3.1 Drainage density

The drainage density determines the time travel by water (Schumn 1956). The measurement

of Dd is a useful numerical measure of landscape dissection and runoff potential (Chorley et.

al, 1957). The change in the drainage is responsible for the fluctuation of hydrological

characteristics of a watershed. (Yildiz 2009). It is also related to various significant

parameters of landscape classification such as climate and vegetation (Moglen et al. 1998),

soil and rock properties (Kelson and Wells 1989). It determines the infiltration capacity and

the basin response time between precipitation and discharge. Drainage basin with high Dd

indicates that a large proportion of the runoff activity due to precipitation. On the other hand,

a low drainage density indicates the most rainfall infiltrates the soil surface, and few streams

are required to carry the runoff. Dd is the result of interacting factors controlling the surface

runoff and in turn influences the output of water and sediment from the drainage basin

(Chorley et. al, 1957). The Dd of the drainage basin is moderate (0.98 km/km2) clearly

indicates that the basin has permeable subsurface material causing more infiltration of water,

which has a high potential of ground water recharge.





4.3.2 Drainage frequency

The number of stream segments per unit area is termed drainage frequency (Horton, 1945). It

is an index of the various stages of landscape evolution. It depends on the lithological

characteristics of the basin and reflects the texture of the drainage network. The parameters,

which affect the stream frequency are vegetation cover, basin relief, sub surface material

permeability and amount of precipitation. The drainage frequency is dependant on the rainfall

pattren and physio geological setting of the area. The value obtained is 0.26. The stream

frequency of Subarnarekha basin shows that the basin has good vegetation index, high

infiltration capacity, and later peak discharges owing to low runoff rate.

4.3.3 Drainage texture

Horton (1945) defined the drainage texture as the total number of stream segments of all

order in a basin per perimeter of the basin. Smith (1950) has classified drainage texture into

five different textures, i.e., very coarse (<2), coarse (2 to 4), moderate (4 to 6), fine (6 to 8)

and very fine (>8). The drainage texture depends on natural factors such as vegetation cover

and its density, mantle rock or bed rock and soil type and its infiltration capacity, relief and

geomorphic stage of development. Low drainage density leads to a coarse drainage texture

while high drainage density leads to a fine drainage texture. More is the value of texture,

more will be dissection, contributing more to the soil erosion. The value obtained is 4.53.

Thus, the Subarnarekha basin falls into moderate texture category and indicates the soil

permeability is good with lower run off rate.

4.3.4 Form factor

Form factor is the numerical index commonly used to identify different basin shapes (Horton,

1932). It is the ratio of basin area (A) to the square of basin length (Lb). The value of form

factor lies between 0.1-0.8. Smaller the value of form factor, more elongated will be the basin

while the larger value is the representative of the circular basin. The form factor value is low,

0.45 representing elongated shape basin.

4.3.5 Constant channel maintenance

Schumm (1956) used the inverse of drainage density as a property termed as “constant of

channel maintenance”. It depends on the basin relative relief, lithology, climate, etc. It

decreases with increasing credibility (Schumm, 1956). Higher values suggest more area is

required to produce surface flow which implies that part of water may get lost by evaporation,

percolation etc. lower value indicates fewer chances of percolation/infiltration and hence

more surface runoff. Constant of channel maintenance for the representative study area is

1.02 good infiltration phenomena and less surface runoff.

4.3.6 Circulatory ratio

It is estimated as the ratio of the area of the basin (A) to the circular area (Ac) having

circumference equal to the perimeter of the river basin. When the value of circulatory ratio

approaches unity, the basin shape tends to be circular (Miller, 1953). The low, medium and

high values of the circulatory ratio are indicator of the life cycle of the tributary basins i.e,

youth mature and old stages of basin. The value of circulatory ratio of the study area is 0.21,

which signifies that the basin is more elongated in shape. The various factors which

predominantly affect the basin shape are relief and stream pattern that arises due to

continuous erosional activity of the land surface.





4.3.7 Compactness constant

It is the ratio between basin perimeters to the perimeter of a circle to the same area of the

watershed (Horton, 1945). It derives the relationship between actual hydrologic basins to the

exact circular basin having the same area as that of hydrologic basin. (Aher et.al., 2014). The

value of compactness constant is an indicator of erosion risk factors. Lower values signify

less vulnerability, while higher values indicates great vulnerability for erosion. It is one of the

major aspects considered for proper evaluation and conservative measures to be implemented

in a watershed for management and planning.

4.3.8 Infiltration number

The infiltration number is the product of Drainage Density (Dd) and drainage Frequency (Fs).

There exists an inverse relationship between infiltration number and infiltration capacity. The

higher the infiltration number the lower will be the infiltration and consequently, higher will

be run off. The infiltration umber of upper watershed of river Subarnarekha is 0.73, which

indicates the slow runoff process of the basin.

4.3.9 Elongation ratio

Elongation ratio (Re) is defined as the ratio of diameter of a circle having the same area as of

the basin and maximum basin length (Schumm 1956). Elongation ratio gives information

about the shape, which determines the hydrological character of a drainage basin. The value

ranges from 0.6 to 0.8 for regions which has high relief and the values close to 1.0 have very

low relief with circular shape. The value of Re in the study area was found to be 0.64

indicating relatively moderate relief and elongated shape of the drainage basin.

4.4 Slope analysis

A slope map is prepared using spatial analyst tool of ARC GIS 10.1 (Figure 6 ). Slope is an

indicator of steepness of terrain and degree of inclination towards any horizontal surface. The

degree of slopeness is highly affected by climatic aspects of the basin. It also depends upon

the rock type and its sub surface permeability. According to the slope map the colour red

shows deep slopes while green shows gentle slopes. The degree of slopeness are indicated

using saturation (or brilliance of color) so that the steeper slopes are brighter than modertare

slopes. The higher slope gradient of upper watershed of river Subarnarekha is mainly due to

the undulating surface topology. Higher slope gradient will give more surface runoff and

subsequentely more soil erosion.

4.5 Aspect analysis

The aspect of the basin provides the direction of the slopes. Aspect gives inferences of

vegetation type and the pattern of precipitation. The aspect map of upper watershed of river

subarnarekha basin is shown in Fig. 7. The east facing slopes is dominant over the study area ,

which has fairly good ground water rechagre potential due to high moisture content. This

support the vegetation and scatterd shrubs over the palteaue region.

4.6 Hypsometry

Hypsometry is a measure of the relationship between elevation and area in a basin, watershed,

or catchment (Strahler, 1952). Basin hypsometry is strongly related to flood response and the





erosional maturity of a basin (Ohmori, 1993). Hypsometric analysis gives two important

inferences, i.e, Hypsometric Integral (a value) and Hypsometric Curve (a curve). A

hypsometric Integral (HI) reflects the elevation profile of the watershed, local effects of

denudation and tectonic uplift and erosional development of basin. It is also useful to make

comparative study during the prioritization of watershed. HI values of <0.30 describe

“tectonically stable”, “denuded”, “mature” basins. HI values >0.60 indicate “unstable”,

“actively uplifting”, “young” basins. In the present study area, the value of HI is 0.519

indicating tectonically stable basin.

Figure 6: Slope map of upper watershed of river Subarnarekha

Figure 7: Aspect map of upper watershed of river Subarnarekha

4.7 The hypsometric Curve

The plot of cumulative area and normalized relief gives a curve called as hypsometric curves

(Figure 8). The X-axis is scaled from 0 to 1 (normalized, cumulative area). The Y-axis is

normalized elevation, also scaled from 0 to 1. A watershed is dominated by continuous

process of geomorphic evolution. The shape of a hypsometric curve can indicate the current





stage of geomorphic evolution of a watershed. A convex curve indicates more of the

watershed’s area (volume of rock or soil) held relatively high in the watershed. In this case,

diffusive hill slope processes such as land sliding, rain splash, soil creep, etc., play a larger

role in geomorphic development of basin. A concave curve indicates the bulk of the basin’s

area (or volume of rock and soil) resides at relatively low elevation. In the present study, the

shape obtained by plotting graph is convex-down indicating that bulk of watershed area is

held relatively high.

Figure 8: Hypsometric curve

5. Conclusion

The hydrology of any watershed is highly influenced by its morphometric characteristics. In

the present study, drainage networks derived from DEMs is used to identify various geo

hydrological responses of the basins. The advancement of GIS and remote sensing techniques

has resulted in efficient and effective way to study the geo-morphometric aspects of the

drainage basins even at micro level. GIS based tools facilitate the analysis of various

geomorphological parameters of the drainage basin like the lithology, surface run off

potential, infiltration capacity, etc. The present study area, i.e, Subarnarekha basin in the

State Jharkhand, India is of eight order. Drainage network of the basin exhibits the dendritic

pattern of stream network, which indicates the homogeneity in texture, and lack of structural

control. This feature helps in understanding various prevailing surface parameters such as

nature of the permeable rock, infiltration capacity, runoff, etc. The morphometric analysis

reveals that the basin is highly affected by seasonal water flow, as it is dependent on

monsoon rainfall. Sometimes this area also receives heavy torrential rainfall due to the effect

of cyclonic disturbance from nearby Bay of Bengal. This causes flash flood in the basin,

which is temporarily in nature. The morphometric parameters like drainage density,

frequency are highly affected by this flash flooding due to the presence of undulating surface.

This feature has a significant impact on drainage basin that control and determines the pattern

of various geomorphological parameters like surface runoff, sediment yield, flash flooding,

relief, etc. The drainage density of the basin reveals that the nature of subsurface strata is

more or less permeable mainly due to the rocky structure presents on the riverbed and

adjoining river banks. This is a characteristic feature of moderate drainage where density

values are less than 5.0. In this study area, the basin as a whole has low texture ratio, which





suggest high infiltration capacity and low a runoff rate. Infiltration and runoff characteristics

of a watershed are the governing factors in shaping its drainage pattern (Sharma et al. 1985;

Dar et al. 2013). The hypsometric curve reveals that the river basin is tectonically stable. The

result of various morphometric outputs can be used to study the ground water prospects and

zonation, surface run-off rain fall relationship, rainwater harvesting potential, flood

vulnerability, etc. The output related to hydrological behavior of watershed can be enhanced

with the application of some hydrological model. The modeling techniques can be also

coupled with geo hydro characteristics for climate change assessment of the river basin. Thus,

morphometric analysis can be very useful tool for planning and management of the drainage

basin. The result observed in this research can be utilized as a scientific data base for detailed

geo hydrological and geo technical investigation to ascertain various alternative solution for

watershed management planning and conservation.

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to express their sincere gratitute to the Dean, University School of

Environment Management, and all organisations mentioned above who provided data for the

present research work. The author also wishes thanks to G.G.S.I P University, New Delhi for

providing research fellowship.

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