Abstract
This study compares the hydromorphological quality of two sub-Himalayan Rivers, the Mahananda–Balason system (MBS) and the Chel–Neora system (CNS), to analyse the role of human intervention in channel hydromorphology. An indicator-based assessment, developed by Mitra et al. (Adv Space Res 71:1397–1417, 2022), is adopted here to obtain the hydromorphological quality. A hypothesis test using a two-tailed t-test and principal component analysis (PCA) is performed to identify the reaches with similar hydromorphological conditions along with aspects that needed restoration. Results show that the hydromorphological condition is highly influenced by the intensity of human alterations, and their interrelations are strongly proportionate. While the hydromorphological quality of unconfined MBS is highly degraded, that of unconfined CNS and the confined reaches of both systems have remained almost at their least disturbed condition (LAC). Intensive human interventions on MBS have impacted the groundwater table, riverine sediments, and fish habitat. Now, to maintain sustainability regarding riverine resources of CNS, close and regular monitoring must be initiated, and this methodology can serve that purpose. Being dependent on monitoring the ongoing interventions and the channel's physical forms, assessment protocols like this can serve the purpose of rapid hydromorphological assessment for the river systems of data-scarce regions.
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Data availability
All the geospatial datasets used here are downloaded from the United States Geological Survey website, which is entirely free. Other than this, freely accessible Google Earth platforms have been used. All the sources are thoroughly mentioned.
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Acknowledgements
The authors are thankful to those who provided their logistic support during fieldwork. We further acknowledge the contribution of Dr Aznarul Islam, Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Aliah University, Kolkata-700014, for their support during the preparation of the manuscript.
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This study received financial support (Fellowship Reference No. 3128/NET-JUNE 2014 and 3520/NET-JULY 2018), extended by the University Grants Commission, India, to the first (S. Mitra) and the fourth author (J. Dey), respectively.
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SM, LT and SKD conceptualized the methodology; SM, AC, MP and JD did the fieldwork; SM, MP and AC analysed the data and prepared the tables and figures; SM, MP and JD drafted the manuscript; LT and SKD supervised the entire work
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Mitra, S., Purkait, M., Chatterjee, A. et al. Analysing the role of anthropogenic intervention in reconfiguring the hydromorphology of the sub-Himalayan river systems in India: a comparative assessment between the Mahananda–Balason and Chel–Neora systems. Aquat Sci 85, 91 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-023-00988-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00027-023-00988-2