QUANTITATIVE MORPHOMETRIC AND HYPSOMETRIC ANALYSIS USING REMOTE SENSING AND GIS TECHNIQUES

Water and land are limited natural resources to be distributed among all equitably. Rainfall is the main source of runoff. The accurate estimate of available water resource is required to meet the raising demand for water from different sectors.. Morphometric parameters and runoff estimation helps in appropriate planning for, optimum utilisation of water, conservation, recharging of the ground water zones, reducing the soil erosion and management of floods. The study area chosen is Kabini Command area spreads in Mysore and Chamarajnagara districts. It is located between 760 12' '' E and 770 12' '' E longitude and 110 58' '' N and 120 16' '' N with an area of 5985.48 km2 and is covered in Survey of India (SOI) Toposheet number 57H04, 57H03, 57D16, 58E01, 58A13, 57D12, 57D08, 58A05 and 58A01 on 1:50000 scale. Remote sensing and GIS techniques are used to delineate the entire catchment into 7 watersheds. Morphometric analysis is carried out at the watershed level to understand the hydrological process and to derive the inferences from the watershed parameters. The bifurcation ratio ranges between 4 to 5 which shows the geological structure do not distort drainage pattern. The drainage density varies from 1.49 to 2.65 km/km2 indicating the area is coarse and moderate in texture. Watershed is more elongated as the elongation ratio ranges from 0.34 to 0.42. Hypsometric analysis is done for the catchment to reveal the stages of geomorphic development. Hypsometric integral quantifies the geological stages of development and erosion proness of Kabini command area. Hypsometric integral has estimated by graphical plot of measured contour elevation and encompassed area by using empirical formulae