Assessment of morphometric characteristics of Shetrunji River basin using remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS)

The study area, that is, Shetrunji basin falling in the district of Bhavanagar, Amreli and Junagadh, is a major one among 71 river basins of Saurashtra region of the Gujarat State, India. Using the remotely sensed images of the Indian Remote Sensing SatelliteP6 (IRS P6), Linear Imaging Self Scanner III (LISS III) and Carosat satellites, the maps for the theme of land use/land cover, soil, drainage, slope and contour were prepared adopting the PCI Geomatica 10.1 software. The geographical information system (GIS) analysis was made for the said themes using the ArcMap V9.2. The Shetrunji basin was found as 7th order basin. The mean bifurcation ratio was found as 4.51 for the basin and it varied from 1.8 to 4 for the 17 watersheds which indicated that the geological structures did not amply disturbed the drainage pattern. The present study aims to assess the morphometric characteristics of Shetrunji basin and the sub-watersheds for its planning and development. Various morphometric characteristics of the Shetrunji basin have been assessed by applying GIS techniques. Strahler’s, method have been employed to assess the fluvial characteristics of the study region. Each morphometric characteristic is considered as a single parameter and knowledge based weight age has been assigned by considering its role in soil erosion. The morphometric properties determined for this basin as a whole and for each watershed will be useful for the efficient planning of water harvesting and groundwater recharge projects on watershed base.   Key words: Morphometry, Shetrunji river basin, watershed, thematic mapping, remote sensing and geographical information system (GIS).