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Accurate flood forecasting is a crucial process for predicting the timing, occurrence, duration, and magnitude of floods in specific zones. This prediction often involves analyzing various hydrological, meteorological, and environmental parameters. In recent years, several soft computing techniques have been widely used for flood forecasting. In this study, flood forecasting for the Narmada River at the Hoshangabad gauging site in Madhya Pradesh, India, was conducted using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model, a Fuzzy Logic (FL) model, and an Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) model. To assess their capacity to handle different levels of information, three separate input data sets were used. Our objective was to compare the performance and evaluate the suitability of soft computing data-driven models for flood forecasting. For the development of these models, monthly discharge data spanning 33 years from six gauging sites were selected. Various performance measures, such as regression, root mean square error (RMSE), and percentage deviation, were used to compare and evaluate the performances of the different models. The results indicated that the ANN and ANFIS models performed similarly in some cases. However, the ANFIS model generally predicted much better than the ANN model in most cases. The ANFIS model, developed using the hybrid method, delivered the best performance with an RMSE of 211.97 and a coefficient of regression of 0.96, demonstrating the potential of using these models for flood forecasting. This research highlighted the effectiveness of soft computing techniques in flood forecasting and established useful suitability criteria that can be employed by flood control departments in various countries, regions, and states for accurate flood prognosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate flood forecasting is a crucial process for predicting the timing, occurrence, duration, and magnitude of floods in specific zones. This prediction often involves analyzing various hydrological, meteorological, and environmental parameters. In recent years, several soft computing techniques have been widely used for flood forecasting. In this study, flood forecasting for the Narmada River at the Hoshangabad gauging site in Madhya Pradesh, India, was conducted using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model, a Fuzzy Logic (FL) model, and an Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) model. To assess their capacity to handle different levels of information, three separate input data sets were used. Our objective was to compare the performance and evaluate the suitability of soft computing data-driven models for flood forecasting. For the development of these models, monthly discharge data spanning 33 years from six gauging sites were selected. Various performance measures, such as regression, root mean square error (RMSE), and percentage deviation, were used to compare and evaluate the performances of the different models. The results indicated that the ANN and ANFIS models performed similarly in some cases. However, the ANFIS model generally predicted much better than the ANN model in most cases. The ANFIS model, developed using the hybrid method, delivered the best performance with an RMSE of 211.97 and a coefficient of regression of 0.96, demonstrating the potential of using these models for flood forecasting. This research highlighted the effectiveness of soft computing techniques in flood forecasting and established useful suitability criteria that can be employed by flood control departments in various countries, regions, and states for accurate flood prognosis.

The geodiversity of India is as diverse as its cultural diversity. Although a large number of geological heritage sites have been conserved and developed, we are still yet to have National/UNESCO Global Geoparks. This paper is an attempt to evaluate one of the most suitable geoheritage regions in the state of Madhya Pradesh—the Bagh Dinosaur National Park region, for its potential to develop as a Geopark and to serve as an example and guide for other suitable regions in India. The discovery of dinosaur fossils in this region is one of the oldest in Asia and dinosaur nests, bones, associated fossil wood logs, and invertebrate fossils are well preserved in the infratrappean rocks of the Bagh Group and Lameta Formation exposed in the lower Narmada valley. These geological sections are extensively studied for their fossils and enclosing sediments and are of international value. Rock-cut Bagh Caves of the 5th–7th Century AD and Bagh handicrafts of this tribal belt of Central India are of great historical and cultural significance. The proposed Bagh Dinosaur Geopark fulfills all the criteria to be a Global Geopark, and suitable actions to get UNESCO recognition needs to be taken in the interest of not only community-led geoheritage conservation but also sustainable development of the region through livelihood promotion of the local indigenous tribes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Narmada basin is one of the major river basins of Central India. The basin frequently experiences droughts and floods due to its geography and uneven topography. Therefore, it is important to understand the spatiotemporal variability of hydroclimatic extremes over the basin. Large-scale climate oscillations (LSCOs) have been observed significantly affecting the patterns of hydroclimatic extremes at the basin and continental scale. In this study, we have analysed the relative influence of LSCOs (EL Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD), and Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO)) over hydroclimatic extremes of the Narmada basin. Precipitation, temperature, and streamflow extremes were analysed in stationary and nonstationary frameworks of generalized extreme value distribution. The precipitation extremes, PRCPTOT and R95p were observed significantly influenced by ENSO, IOD, and AMO individually whereas extreme Rx5day was relatively more influenced by ENSO and AMO individually and collectively. Temperature extremes, TXx was significantly more influenced by ENSO alone (26.47% of the region), while TNx was observed to be substantially more influenced by ENSO and AMO. The upper Narmada basin was found vulnerable to flooding and whereas the basin was projected to experience more frequent and intense heatwave-associated disasters in long term. HIGHLIGHTS Precipitation and temperature extremes have been found to increasing historical trends over the Narmada Basin of Madhya Pradesh (India).; Extreme indices have exhibited significant nonstationary behaviour due to large-scale climate oscillations (ENSO, IOD, and AMO).; The upper part of the basin was observed as vulnerable to flooding whereas the whole basin is prone to frequent and intense heat waves in long term.;

To obtain structural information below basalt cover using conventional seismic reflection has always been a challenge due to the high impedance of the basaltic layer. This study enumerates P-wave refraction tomography to image the shallow structure along three long offset profiles in the Deccan Volcanic Province, one of the world's largest flood basalt volcanic regions. The travel time inversion is performed to obtain a starting model for the wavefield inversion, and synthetic tests are used to estimate the resolution. Our results show an abrupt increase of crystalline basement depth from 1.5 to 3 km across the Narmada South Fault. The shallow basement depth coincides with a 70-km-wide sub-basalt (>1.5 km deep) seismic shadow zone between the Narmada and Tapti rivers, associated with the sub-basalt graben caused by a crustal extension that contains sediments or a combination of basalt and sediments. The basaltic layer appears to be highly heterogeneous in velocity and thickness, and the degree of heterogeneity increases laterally and vertically with depth within the layer. It is quite likely that these sub-basalt sediments could be the potential zone for hydrocarbon, similar to the exposed Vindhyan in the north and Gondwana sediments in the south of our study area. Another intriguing feature is the Barwani Sukta Fault, which controls the tectonics of the region by dividing the basement configuration. We also compare our tomographic model with those determined from previously obtained seismic, gravity, and surface mapping. The tomographic image clearly shows that numerous faults are reaching up to the basement and extending laterally. We suggest that these neo-tectonic faults may be capable of generating large-magnitude earthquakes, including the 21 May 1997 (mb 6.0) Jabalpur earthquake.

Based on integration of field, petrographic and heavy mineral chemical data, this study highlights the source and tectonic setting of the Mesozoic sandstones of Kutch, Saurashtra, Narmada and Cambay basins at the western margin of India, formed by the progressive splitting of the eastern Gondwanaland. The Kutch Basin is dominated by arkosic sandstone, whereas Saurashtra, Narmada and Cambay basins show the predominance of sub-arkose and sub-litharenite. The modal analyses of framework grains in Kutch sandstones indicate basement uplift and transitional continent settings. In contrast, the sandstones of Saurashtra, Narmada and Cambay basins bear imprints of recycled orogenic and craton interior belts. The presence of abraded and detrital quartz overgrowth and rounded zircons in most sandstones reveal the recycling of sediments in these basins. Tourmaline and rutile mineral compositions constrain the possible lithology of source rocks. The tourmaline mineral chemistry (Ca-Fe tot -Mg plot) suggests the derivation of sediments from various sources, including Li-poor granitoids associated with pegmatites, aplites, Ca-poor metapelites, metapsammites and quartz-tourmaline-rich granitic rocks. The compositions of rutile grains (Cr vs. Nb plot) in sandstones indicate metapelitic sources. The gamut of all mineral chemical data supports the predominance of sediment sources from quartzo-feldspathic rocks with minor inputs from mafic rocks. Based on available paleocurrent data and correlation of source compositions, we infer that the Mesozoic sediments of Kutch, Saurashtra, Narmada and Cambay basins were primarily sourced by various lithologies of the Aravalli Craton. The Narmada Basin possibly received additional sediment input from the Bundelkhand Craton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is amongst the most precarious phenomena that cause serious repercussions, especially over the agriculture-dominated regions. A detailed assessment of droughts is necessary to develop robust frameworks for combating its ill effects. This study presents an analysis of meteorological drought characteristics (frequency, severity and persistence) using precipitation data of twenty-four districts for 1954–2013 over the Narmada River Basin, which is located in the core of the Indian Monsoon region and has great agricultural importance. Further, the entire duration is divided into two epochs, i.e. 1954–83 and 1984–2013, for comparative analysis. A simplified rainfall index (RIS) is proposed, which is based on the concept of percentage deviation from normal monsoon rainfall along with the uniform transition from moderate to severe and severe to extreme droughts. The basin is found to be prone to droughts and the drought frequency varied from once in three to 8 years over different districts. The droughts are more frequent and severe in the western portions of the basin as compared to the eastern portions. The majority of the districts have undergone droughts persisting for 3 years at least once. The epoch-wise analysis reveals a significantly higher frequency, severity and persistence of droughts in the recent epoch. The results of trend analysis using the Modified Mann–Kendall test indicate an increasing trend of droughts over twenty-one districts and significantly increasing over eleven districts. The information reported in this study will be helpful for proper planning and management of water resources over the basin and hence, reduce the pernicious effects of droughts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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 km, 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Results of a survey of dissolved helium, fluoride and electrical conductivity in groundwater from across the main stem of the Narmada River, between Bharuch in the west and Amarkantak in the east, are reported. This survey was undertaken to identify active tectonic regions, based on locations of high helium concentrations, interpreted as indicative of upward migration of deep fluids. Existence of deep fluids in this region has been hypothesised earlier based on various geophysical studies in the Narmada Rift Basin — a major tectonic feature in central India. Samples with high helium concentration are clustered in two broad regions with known intersecting faults, indicating the possibility of plumes with high helium concentration being injected into shallower groundwater in these regions, facilitated by these faults and fractures. Locations of groundwater samples having excess fluoride remarkably correspond to these two clusters of excess helium. This suggests a possible commonality between the causal factor of excess helium and higher fluoride in groundwater, which needs to be further investigated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The age of the marine Nodular Limestone Formation of the Bagh Group is refined at Substage level through ammonoid and inoceramid index taxa. The study is based on the fresh collections from three well-defined successive intervals (Lower Karondia, Upper Karondia and Chirakhan members) of this formation having excellent exposures in different localities of the Narmada Basin, central India. The first record of the widely distributed Turonian ammonoid genera Spathites Kummel and Decker and Collignoniceras Breistroffer from the Nodular Limestone Formation constrained its age exclusively to Turonian. The Early Turonian species Spathites (Jeanrogericeras) aff. revelieranus (Courtiller) and Mytiloides labiatus (Sclotheim) occur in the lower part, while the Middle Turonian marker Collignoniceras cf. carolinum (d’Obrbigny) and Inoceramus hobetsensis (Nagao and Matsumoto) occurs in the upper part of the Karondia Member. The record of the index species Inoceramus teshioensis (Nagao and Matsumoto) in association with Placenticeras mintoi Vredenburg from Chirakhan Member allows a definite Late Turonian age. The present contribution is an attempt to resolve the controversies in the age of the Nodular Limestone Formation and also demarcation of the three divisions (Early, Middle and Late) of the Turonian Stage in the Narmada Basin, central India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]