Evaluation and comparison of morphometric parameters of Savitri watershed, India

The morphometric assessment has proved to be effective in recognizing and analyzing the neotectonic signatures governing a particular drainage basin. Studies on morphometric properties involving the linear, areal, and relief aspects are vital as it aids in evaluating the hydrological response and prioritization of watersheds. The present research attempts to investigate and compare the morphometric parameters of the Savitri watershed considering two datasets, i.e., topographical sheet and digital elevation model over two time periods. The Savitri is designated as a seventh-order basin with a dendritic pattern covering a total area of 1966.34 km². The average bifurcation ratio is 3.8 which confirms that the network of the drainage in the basin is not regulated by the underlying rock structure. Moreover, the drainage density and stream frequency values have shown marked changes that might be attributed to both natural and injudicious human activities, thus affecting the nature of the basin. The relief analysis of the basin indicates that most of the areas of the basin have gentle to flat gradient favoring frequent flood events.