Morphometric Analysis of a Kosi River Basin, Uttarakhand using Geographical Information System

Abstract

Geographical Information System (GIS) tools can be used for morphometric analysis for characterizing the hydrological response behavior of the watershed. The Kosi river in Uttarakhand, India is an important tributary of the Ganga River system that provides a water supply for irrigation, power generation, and public supply. The river also harbors a wide range of fish biodiversity and support livelihood to inhabitants through fishing, sports fishing, and aqua-tourism. Keeping the view of its importance, River Kosi was thus selected for morphometric analysis using Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection (ASTER) data and toposheets of Survey of India. Morphometric parameters such as linear, aerial and relief characteristics were computed.  The river basin length was measured as 116.14Km with a drainage area of 2101.83Km2.  The stream order designated as seventh order basin with dendritic drainage pattern having drainage density value of 1.89 Km/Km2. The present hydrological investigation is inevitable in development and management of drainage basin. Moreover, the study can also be referred as a benchmark for studies on temporal change in geomorphology due to climate change.