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Assessment of Daily Streamflow, Sediment Fluxes, and Erosion Rate of a Pro-glacial Stream Basin, Central Himalaya, Uttarakhand

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Abstract

Reliable information of hydrological processes within a river basin is essentially required for developing an appropriate strategy for achieving sustainable development goals. The present study assesses the streamflow of a pro-glacial stream and also intends to estimate the contribution of suspended sediments, erosion rate, and the headwater contribution of the Panchachuli glacier. A field study during ablation period was carried out to measure streamflow and suspended sediment concentration (SSC). Further, HBV model was used to estimate the snowmelt. The average seasonal streamflow and SSC during the gauging period (July to October) for the basin were measured to be 7.17 m3/s, and 1.52 g/l in 2018, and 6.84 m3/s, and 1.21 g/l in 2019, respectively. Snowmelt contribution in total streamflow was 54.75% in 2018 which is reduced to 49.16% in 2019. Similarly, glacier melt contributes to 32.62% of its total runoff share in 2018 which was reduced to 28.73% in 2019. The rainfall runoff in total runoff increased to 12.62% from 2018 to 2019. Rainfall-runoff in its total runoff contribution showed an increased share of 22.13% in 2019. The streamflow, SSC, and suspended sediment load (SSL) showed a strong positive correlation for both the years. The suspended sediment yield (SSY), SSL, and erosion rate of the basin were found as high as compared to the other Himalayan basins in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh and non-Himalayan regions that was found low when compared to other glaciers in Uttarakhand.

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Acknowledgements

The authors heartily and sincerely thank the Director of the Govind Ballabh Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (NIHE), Kosi-Katarmal, Almora-263 643, Uttarakhand, for providing facilities. The research work conducted as a part of the research project titled, “Anthropogenic impacts and their management options in different ecosystems of the Indian Himalayan Region” funded by the National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), Govt. of India, New Delhi, is thankfully acknowledged.

Funding

The National Mission on Himalayan Studies (NMHS), Government of India provided financial support for this study under grant number NMHS/SG-2017/260.

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  1. G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (NIHE), Kosi-Katarmal, Almora, Uttarakhand, Pin 263643, India

    Kuldeep Singh Rautela, Jagdish Chandra Kuniyal, Ajay Singh Bhoj & Nidhi Kanwar

  2. Department of Water Resources, Punjab Engineering College (Deemed To Be University), Chandigarh, Pin 160012, India

    M. A. Alam

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  1. Kuldeep Singh Rautela
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  3. M. A. Alam
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  4. Ajay Singh Bhoj
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Contributions

Conceptualization: Jagdish Chandra Kuniyal, Kuldeep Singh Rautela and M.A. Alam; methodology: Kuldeep Singh Rautela and Jagdish Chandra Kuniyal; formal analysis and investigation: Kuldeep Singh Rautela, Nidhi Kanwar, and Ajay Singh Bhoj; writing — original draft preparation: Kuldeep Singh Rautela; writing — review and editing: Jagdish Chandra Kuniyal, Kuldeep Singh Rautela and M.A. Alam; supervision: Jagdish Chandra Kuniyal, and M.A. Alam.

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Rautela, K.S., Kuniyal, J.C., Alam, M.A. et al. Assessment of Daily Streamflow, Sediment Fluxes, and Erosion Rate of a Pro-glacial Stream Basin, Central Himalaya, Uttarakhand. Water Air Soil Pollut 233, 136 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-022-05567-z

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