Morphometric Analysis of Manali Watershed of Beas River Basin for Watershed Management

Abstract

This study is focused on the morphometric analysis of relative parameters of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) and satellite imagery for Manali watershed in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh. Morphometric analysis of linear, areal and relief aspects helps in understanding the drainage pattern, elongation ratio, bifurcation ratio and other geo-hydrological parameters of watershed which are further useful for watershed management. Hydrology tool of ArcGIS software was used to delineate watershed and perform morphometric analysis over SRTM DEM at 90m resolution. The present study reveals that morphometric analysis technique is more methodical and meticulous compared to other available techniques. Land use map, Soil parent material map, Slope map and Aspect map along with morphometric analysis of the study area are also helpful for planners and decision makers for natural resource management and watershed management leading to sustainable development of the study area.