Drainage morphometric analysis of the Nagavathi watershed, Cauvery river basin in Dharmapuri district, Tamil Nadu, India using SRTM data and GIS

Abstract

A drainage morphometric analysis of Nagavathi watershed in Dharmapuri district has been chosen for the present study. Geospatial tools, such as remote sensing and GIS, are utilized for the extraction of watershed and its drainage networks. The Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) data have been used for drainage morphometric analysis and evaluating various morphometric parameters Linear aspect, Aerial aspect Relief aspect. The morphometric parameters of Nagavathi watershed have been analyzed and evaluated by pioneer methods, such as Horton and Strahler. The bifurcation ratio varies from 0.8 to 43.1. The elongation ratio of Microwatersheds varies from 0.13 to 0.43, indicates Microwatersheds fall under elongated pattern. This study would help the local people to utilize the resources for planning rainwater harvesting and watershed management. Keywords: Arc GIS, Drainage density, Rainwater harvesting, SRTM data and Stream Order