MORPHOMETRIC CHARACTERISATION OF GAGAR WATERSHED IN KUMAON REGION OF UTTARAKHAND FOR MANAGEMENT PLANNING: A GIS APPROACH

Soil and water are of crucial importance for mankind. Water scarcity is a burning problem for the hill agrarians. Viable sources of water like springs, which are plenty in hills, are drying up because of inadequate recharge of flow domain of springs and there is great disturbance in hydrologic cycle of hilly areas. Planning and management of available natural resources are essential for sustainable development in agriculture. Keeping this in view the present study was conducted to study the morphological characteristics. Morphometric characterization was accomplished through obtainment of linear, areal and relief aspects of the basin using GIS software Geomatica-9.1. It was observed that there was a decrease in stream frequency with increase in stream order. The drainage network showed that the terrain demonstrates dendratic pattern with coarse texture type. Lower value of drainage density of the study area indicated coarse drainage pattern and humid climate of the study area. The morphometric analysis of the watershed showed that, stream frequency and total length of stream segments decreased with increase in stream order. The higher value of bifurcation ratio indicated strong structural control on the drainage pattern. This study will be useful in the prioritization of soil and water conservation works for the efficient watershed management planning.