Issues and Management Strategies of the Riparian Corridor of the Dulung River Basin, India

Abstract

The riparian corridor is the interface between land and the aquatic ecosystem. This is the area where fluvial geomorphology and stream ecology meet and play a significant role in providing a new dimension to the river continuum concept. It is the buffer zone where vegetation acts as a filter to maintain the health of the entire riparian area. The riparian corridor includes all perennial streams with defined channel flow. It also encompasses adjacent terrestrial areas influenced by the river and its land, soil, slopes, and vegetation features. The river Dulung, a fifth order stream, portrays a unique geographical perspective in its catchment. The area is surrounded by several residual hills in the northwest corner, some large-scale gullies in the middle parts, and rolling plains in the lower parts adding diverse dimensions to the landscape. The riparian corridor has three reaches: upper, middle, and lower, and each sector represents the differential nature of the terrain, hydrology, vegetation, agricultural practices, and human intervention. The present work focuses on the systemic study of the riparian area along with the uniqueness of the corridor based on morphometric parameters and analyses how far it can act as a buffer for the entire catchment to restore its ecosystem services. Strategies have been formulated to tackle different issues relating to the environment that are deteriorated by anthropogenic activities in the catchment area. The structure of the riparian corridor largely helps to design pertinent forms of stream morphology. Patch analysis has been done to evaluate the landscape ecology in the 2 km buffer zone of the corridor. Some problem areas have been identified that need to be treated and managed correspondingly to restore all kinds of physical and economic activity.