Morphometric analysis using geospatial techniques to infer hydrologic behaviour of Waghadi Watershed, Maharashtra, India

An attempt was made for morphometric analysis using geospatial techniques to study hydrologic behaviour of Waghadi watershed, Maharashtra, India, which helps in decision making regarding implementation of water conservation and management plan. In the study area, SRTM-DEM data was used to generate drainage network and slope map inArc GIS environment. Results revealed that the drainage pattern of the study area showed dentritic to subdendritic, coarse drainage texture in nature along with 6^th order streams. The values of form factor (0.28), circulatory ratio (0.37) and elongation ratio (0.6) showed elongated shape with mean bifurcation ratio (5.92) represented strong structural control over the drainage pattern. Majority of its area is agricultural land (55%), followed by forest (39%), and comprises primarily of hydrologic soil groups C and D, which have moderate to high runoff potential zones and are the ideal from harvesting surface runoff point of view. However, most of area has a gentle to moderate slope (3-5%) while the upper and boundary regions are mostly hilly, with moderate steep to very steep slopes >35%, helps in allocation of various water harvesting structures. Such type of study exemplifies how remote sensing and GIS may be used to water harvesting planning.