Morphometric analysis of a watershed of South India using SRTM data and GIS

An attempt has been made to study drainage morphometry and its influence on hydrology of Wailapalli watershed, South India. For detailed study we used Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission (SRTM) data for preparing Digital Elevation Model (DEM), aspect grid and slope maps, Geographical information system (GIS) was used in evaluation of linear, areal and relief aspects of morphometric parameters. The study reveals that the elongated shape of the basin is mainly due to the guiding effect of thrusting and faulting. The lower order streams are mostly dominating the basin. The development of stream segments in the basin area is more or less affected by rainfall. The mean Rb of the entire basin is 3.89 which indicate that the drainage pattern is not much influenced by geological structures. Relief ratio indicates that the discharge capability of these watersheds is very high and the groundwater potential is meager. These studies are very useful for planning rainwater harvesting and watershed management.