Morphometric analysis of linear and areal aspects of bhagirathi river basin — A GIS approach

Geospatial techniques which encompasses remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) has found to be very useful in delineation of basin parameters which are of the great importance in morphological studies. In the present paper, geospatial techniques were applied to delineate basin parameters for the Bhagirathi River Basin, in the Western Himalaya. A total number of 14 parameters were obtained to study its morphometric character. A maximum 6th order of stream is encountered in the study area and pattern is mainly of dendritic and radial type. Further, the low value 0.655 of drainage density indicates that the basin is highly permeable. The value of mean bifurcation ratio 4.68 in the basin indicates a less structural disturbance in drainage pattern of the basin. Accordingly, the value of texture ratio reflect a very course drainage texture in the basin. This study would help the local people to plan and utilize the resources for sustainable development of the basin area based on watershed parameters.