Morphometric analysis of Bichom River basin, Arunachal Pradesh, India using ALOS PALSAR RTC DEM and geospatial technology

Abstract

Morphometric analysis provides an essential understanding of the geo-hydrological nature of a drainage basin. The advancements in remote sensing products like digital elevation model (DEM) and geographical information system (GIS) have made the assessment of morphometric indices more effective, easier, cheaper, and faster. Many studies have been carried out in different river basins of the country but there are meager works in context of the river basins of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Therefore, in this study, we assessed the morphometric parameters of the Bichom River basin for the first time using the DEM of Advanced Land Observing Satellite-Phased Array-Type L-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (ALOS-PALSAR) with 12.5m spatial resolution in ArcGIS 10.3. The basin was divided into four sub-watersheds, namely Upper Bichom (SW-1), Dirang-Chu (SW-2), Tenga (SW-3), and Kaya (SW-4), and the linear, areal, and relief parameters have been analyzed. The Bichom River is of 8th order and exhibits dentritic drainage pattern. The results of linear aspects show that the basin is lithologically and geologically controlled with variations in slope and topography. The areal parameters indicate moderately permeable subsoil, moderate to high runoff with steep slope, rapid rainwater discharge, low to moderate permeability or infiltration, mature topography, and semi-circular basin. Finally, the relief attributes of the basin also exhibit steep slope, high runoff with low to moderate infiltration potential, and active erosional processes. The present baseline findings of the morphometric parameters could be effectively used by the decision-makers for prioritizing soil and water resource management at the basin and sub-watershed level.