Hydro-morphological investigations of Neeru watershed using DEM and geospatial techniques

Abstract

Morphometric analysis is very popular among the hydro-geomorphological investigation of the river basins that deals with the linear, areal, shape and landscape aspects of river catchment. Neeru watershed, a left-bank tributary of the Chenab River (Doda, Jammu and Kashmir, India). Carto-DEM, Sentinel-2B multispectral satellite image and Topographical maps taken into account for extracting and computing watershed’s various parameters adopting the geospatial techniques. This northern aligned watershed has a length, width, and perimeter of 65 km, 22.4 km, and 106.03 km, respectively, and covers 415.19 sq. km area. It is a 5th stream order watershed, with lower-order streams predominating. The drainage density of 0.81 km/km2 indicates that it is highly permeable and thus has increased subterranean water storage capacity. The bifurcation ratio varies from 2 to 4.74, with a mean of 3.67, demonstrating strong structural control over drainage development. The study area's elongation ratio (0.67) indicates that it has an elongated shape with high relief, steep slope, high sediment load discharge, and susceptible soil erosion. The assessment indicates the role of geospatial techniques in quick appraisal of ecological indicators they will be helpful for decision makers in managing natural resource, planning, and watershed management.