Identification of potential sites for water harvesting structures in Gadela watershed using remote sensing and GIS

In this study the suitable sites for water harvesting structures in Gadela watershed has been identified using remote sensing and GIS. The satellite imagery of 30 m resolution data downloaded from bhuvan was used to prepare Elevation and slope map for the study area. The other thematic maps such as Land use land cover, Geomorphology, Soil, Transmissibility and Runoff maps were prepared to suggest suitable water harvesting structures. The weighted overlay approach has been applied for the prepared thematic maps based on their importance in water harvesting and converted to normalized maps. These maps were overlaid using Arc GIS tool to get the final suitability map. The suitability of the study area divided in to low, medium and high priority zones and found 31% of area is highly suitable and 45% as medium and 24% less suitable. 62 places Suitable for various harvesting structures. Twenty four Check dams, twenty five farm ponds, four nala bunds, contour trench in 187 ha for barren land and a Gully plug were proposed for the study area as per Integrated Mission For Sustainable Development (IMSD) guidelines.