Quantitative Analysis of Drainage Basin Parameters towards better Management of Damodar River, Eastern India

Abstract

Morphometric analysis of a drainage basin is important for the study of river basin evaluation, analysis of flood hazard, watershed prioritization, and for better management of the river. Primarily to mitigate flood, India’s first multipurpose river valley project was implemented on Damodar river valley, disregarding in depth study about the basic morphometry of the river. After that, in last 50–60 years, many researchers have worked on this topic in selected watersheds or parts of Damodar river basin. The present study extended the work to entire Damodar river basin of eastern India and demarcated the basin from 59 nos. of SOI topographical maps (R.F.1:50,000) and satellite images. For detailed analysis, the whole basin was divided into 103 watersheds and each watershed was treated as a unit for the analysis. Then twenty-three morphometric variables (comprising of linear, areal and relief parameters) were used to generate dataset of the morphometric characteristics of all watersheds. Using these morphometry data, watersheds are classified into different groups based on their similarities. Further, watershed-wise amount of runoff, sediment yield and environmental flow of Damodar river have been estimated for flood and erosion management purpose. Finally, watersheds are divided into different classes as per their priority in management process. This important study may assist us to understand and manage the river properly for the future of human populations during Anthropocene.