Morphometric analysis of Morar River Basin, Madhya Pradesh, India, using remote sensing and GIS techniques

Hydrogeological mapping and drainage analysis can form an important tool for groundwater development. Assessment of drainage and their relative parameters have been quantitatively carried out for the Morar River Basin, which has made positive scientific contribution for the local people of area for the sustainable water resource development and management. Geographical Information System has been used for the calculation and delineation of the morphometric characteristics of the basin. The dendritic type drainage network of the basin exhibits the homogeneity in texture and lack of structural control. The stream order ranges from first to sixth order. The drainage density in the area has been found to be low which indicates that the area possesses highly permeable soils and low relief. The bifurcation ratio varies from 2.00 to 5.50 and the elongation ratio (0.327) reveals that the basin belongs to the elongated shaped basin category. The results of this analysis would be useful in determining the effect of catchment characteristics such as size, shape, slope of the catchment and distribution of stream net work within the catchment.