Morphometric analysis and prioritization of sub-watersheds in nahra watershed of Balaghat District, Madhya Pradesh: A remote sensing and gis perspective

Abstract

In this study, morphometric analysis and prioritization of the eleven sub-watersheds of Nahra watershed, located in the Central-Eastern part of the Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh, India, was carried out using Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographical Information System (GIS). The morphometric parameters considered for analysis are stream length, bifurcation ratio, drainage density, stream frequency, texture ratio, form factor, circularity ratio, elongation ratio, and compactness coefficient. The Nahra watershed has a dendritic drainage pattern. The highest bifurcation ratio among all the sub-watersheds is 6.667 which indicates a strong structural control on the drainage. The maximum value of circularity ratio and elongation ratio are 0.696 and 0.684, respectively for the SW8. The form factor values are in the range of 0.181 to 0.368, which indicates that the Nahra watershed has a moderately high peak flow of shorter duration. The compound parameter values were calculated and a prioritization rating of eleven mini-watersheds in Nahra watershed was carried out. The mini-watershed with the lowest compound parameter value is given the highest priority. The SW8 has a minimum compound parameter value of 4.222 is likely to be subjected to the maximum soil erosion; hence, it should be provided with immediate soil conservation measures.