Morphometric delineation of administrative boundaries and classification of threatened categories of small watersheds in transboundary rivers

Abstract

The ecological conservation of large rivers is impossible unless immediate attention is given to protecting their small tributaries at local levels. The natural boundaries of large river basins are shrinking because their tributaries and streams of different orders are disappearing at an unprecedented rate. Delineation of the fixed administrative boundaries (AB) to protect the natural boundary of small rivers and their classification into appropriate threatened categories, the present study was carried out on the 54.08 km long Banki River in the Ganga River basin. The > 70% irreversible loss in the number of streams (Nu), length of streams (Lu), and drainage density (Dd) resulted in the conversion of the 6th order Banki into the 4th order river. The extreme morphometric changes result in the Banki watershed being under the “Critically Endangered” category. The drainage density ratio (DdR) and mean stream width (Msw) were used to determine the width of AB (WAB). The “River Red List Categories and Criteria” are being proposed to strengthen global initiatives at the local levels to protect and conserve inland water bodies and transboundary rivers.

The Delineation of Watersheds in the Dhenkanal District, Odisha, India; Using Arc-GIS

“…Land use and land cover changes are interrelated with watershed development, soil erosion, quality of water, vegetation, and yield of the area [17,18]. IWSM Programme in India was framed to provide the expansion of the DPAP (Drought Prone Areas Program), and DDP (Desert Development Plan) and rectifies the 1994 formulations, identifying the drawbacks, capacity-building strategies, and suggesting precisions, [19,20]. Investigation through Morphometry of an ungauged watershed, its prioritization, and delineation is usually done for the expansion of the district hydrological model using GIS/RS, [21][22][23][24]20].…”

“…IWSM Programme in India was framed to provide the expansion of the DPAP (Drought Prone Areas Program), and DDP (Desert Development Plan) and rectifies the 1994 formulations, identifying the drawbacks, capacity-building strategies, and suggesting precisions, [19,20]. Investigation through Morphometry of an ungauged watershed, its prioritization, and delineation is usually done for the expansion of the district hydrological model using GIS/RS, [21][22][23][24]20]. In a multifaceted watershed, the groundwater (GW) should not be neglected.…”