Integrating Soil Hydraulic Parameter and Microwave Precipitation with Morphometric Analysis for Watershed Prioritization

Abstract

Morphometric analysis is a promising technique for watershed management. It provides quantitative descriptions of river basin and useful for understanding the behaviour of basin. This study is conducted in Pahuj river basin (Bundelkhand Region) Jhansi, Central India to understand the basin characteristics for watershed prioritization. The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission satellite (SRTM) is used to derive the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and for creation of thematic layers such as drainage order, drainage density and slope map. In total, 20 mini-watersheds are generated for understanding the morphometric parameters and estimating the compound factor for mini-watersheds. For watershed prioritization, soil hydraulic parameter, compound factor and monthly average monsoon precipitation from TRMM (Tropical Rainfall Measure Mission) for 18 years period (1998–2015) are used. The overall analysis indicates that the mini-watershed numbers 18, 19 needs utmost attention for water conservation followed by mini-watershed number 20. Our results are also of considerable scientific and practical value to the wider scientific community, given the number of practical applications and research studies in which morphometric analysis are needed. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.