Geo-morphometric prioritization of Aglar micro watershed in Lesser Himalaya using GIS approach

Lesser Himalayan watersheds are most susceptible to conservational deprivation, that needs to accurate management and planning of available natural resources such as soil and water which are pre-requisites for sustainable growth of the watershed in the mountains regions. The analysis of watershed through morphometric together with geomorphic maps i.e., soil distribution, land cover, and slope map can play a role in forecasting to understand the behavior of hydrological processes in a Himalayan watershed. An attempt has been made to quantify the geo-morphometric parameters and their characteristics for watershed prioritization using remote sensing (RS) and geographical information system (GIS) approach and linked the geomorphologic parameters with the hydrological characteristics of the watershed. The sub-catchment Aglar UP (SC-1), Paligaad (SC-2), and Balganga (SC-3), located in the lesser Himalayas in Jaunpur block of Uttarakhand state having elevation between (670–2975 m). The sub-watershed (SC-1) and (SC-2) are third order and (SC-3) is a 1st order stream, having a dendritic drainage pattern with low drainage density < 0.5 km per km2, indicates the impact of lithology and topography on drainage pattern. The average bifurcation ratio of (SC-1) is combatively less than (SC-2) which shows a high infiltration rate with low overland flow and presence of strong structural control on the drainage pattern. Lower values of circularity ratio and elongation ratio of < 0.5 advocated elongated shape of the watershed with lesser peak flows for an extended time. The less value of the form factor in the elongated type of watershed suggested about flatter peak flow. Based on the obtained morphometry parameters of linear and shape, watershed prioritization has been carried out for erosion risk. Based on weight and ranking, (SC-2) got the highest priority, is the most susceptible to erosion, whereas (SC-1) receives the least priority which means the least erosion. The results from this study helps to understand the hydrological behavior and soil erosion factors of lesser Himalayan watersheds that would be useful to water resource conservation to the planners, policy makers and agriculturists. The study gets the attentions from the scientists, researchers, involved in their respective fields.