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QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS AND

IMPLICATIONS OF DRAINAGE
MORPHOMETRY OF THE DHANIKHARI
WATERSHED, SOUTH ANDAMAN ISLAND
USING GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
SYSTEM
1
Balakrishna and 2A. Narsing Rao
1
National Post-Doctoral Fellow and 2 Professor
1
Department of Geology,
1
Osmania University, Hyderabad, India
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Abstract : Morphometric analysis is refers as the quantitative evaluation of form characteristics of the earth surface and any
landform unit. This is the most common technique in basin analysis, as morphometry form an ideal areal unit for interpretation
and analysis of fluvially originated landforms where they exhibits and example of open systems of operation. Geographical
information system (GIS) and image processing techniques has emerged as an efficient tool for identification of morphological
features, delineation of drainage pattern and evaluating their properties of the basin, ground water potential and its planning. The
present study deals mainly with the geometry, more emphasis being placed on the evaluation of morphometric parameters like
bifurcation ratio (Rb), stream length (Lu), stream order (Nu), stream frequency (Fs ), drainage density (D), Drainage Texture (Dt),
circularity ratio (Rc ), elongation ratio (Re ) and form factor ratio (Rf ) etc. The Dhanikhari sub-basin of South Andaman Island,
geographically enclosed between latitude 11º 36' 0'' N to 11º 31' 30'' N and longitude 92º 39' 0'' E to 92º 42' 0'' E, covering an area
of 24.8 sq. Km located in South Andaman of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. The GIS based Morphometric analysis of this
drainage basin revealed that the Dhanikhari sub-basin has heighest 4th order and drainage pattern mainly is trellis type thereby
indicates homogeneity in texture and structurally control. The area is well characterized by valley fills, structural hills, buried
pediments, alluvial plains and denudational hills creating soil covers of Mithakhari rocks, Ultrabasic rocks, volcanic rocks and
coral reefs. Total number of streams is 133, in which 103 are first order, 24 are second order, 5 are third order and 4 are fourth
order streams. The density of drainage in watersheds of the current study area displays a range from 0.84 to 4.30 per km2
signifying low to moderate density eventually depicting noticeably permeable sub-soil throughout the study area. It is noted that
the Rf values indicate that all the watersheds are more or less elongated to sub-circular in shape. The values of Lg are low in all
watersheds indicating overall considerably high relief in area. Relief ratio indicates that the discharge capability of these
watersheds is very high.

Keywords: Morphometric, Quantitative, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, GIS.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________
I. INTRODUCTION
Basin morphometry is a method of quantifying or evaluating mathematically the various facets of drainage channel and
its characteristics which can be measured to compare consists of, drainage density, bifurcation of rivers, number, length, and as
well as area, shape, relief and slope of the basin. The characteristics of watershed have been studied with the help of traditional
means (Horton, 1945; Miller, 1953; Strahler, 1964). Analysis procedures based on topographical data integrated with high
resolution spatial data, have proved to be highly efficient means to manage comprehend the natural resources. This helps in
providing accurate and near real time data linked to differentiate landforms, geological formation and also helps in delineation of
drainage systems that have been changed through anthropological activities and natural forces. For analysing non-spatial and
spatial data on landform parameters, geology, drainage and also to understand their relationship, GIS have been proved to be an
effective tool. Some researchers have well-defined the use of GIS and remote sensing for morphometric analysis. (Nautiyal, 1994;
Shrivastava and Mitra, 1995; Shrivastava, 1997; Nag, 1998; Agarwal 1998; Biswas et al., 1999; Shreedevi et al., 2001, 2004;
Vittala et al., 2004). These researchers have commonly concluded that GIS and remote sensing are dynamic tools for investigating
morphometry of the basin and its continuous monitoring.
In this study, an effort was made to (i) delineate different physical features of the drainage basins and understand the
relationship among them, (ii) understand the role of lithology and geologic structures in development of drainage pattern. Since
the value of water have been realized more emphasis are been given for the betterment of economic usage and its management.
Many scientists have studied the morphomometric features of various basins through traditional methods (Krishnamurthy and
Srinivas, 1995; Srivastava and Mitra, 1995; Agarwal, 1998; Biswas et al., 1999, Narendra and Nageswara Rao, 2006).

II. STUDY AREA

The current area of study is enclosed within latitude of 11º 36' 0'' N to 11º 31' 30'' N and longitude of 92º 39' 0'' E to 92º
42' 0'' E, covering a total of area of 24.8 sq. Km (Fig. 1.) The studied area is occupied by 95 % Flysh sediments (sandstone,

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siltstone, shale) group of rocks geologically. It is well signified by buried pediments, denudational and structural hills, alluvial
plains and valley fills creating soil covers of Mithakhari rocks, Ultrabasic rocks, volcanic rocks and coral reefs. . The area enjoys
tropical climate of humid in rainy season and dry in summer season and the temperature ranges from 27º to 33º. Usually
temperature variations are even in nature, with exception during dry months when the temperature rise is higher than it is during
the wet season (monsoon) and the humidity level is generally high (80 %) because it is surrounded by the sea. The average
rainfall in the basin is 318 cm in 138 rain days annually with influence from South-West monsoon also. Heavy precipitation is
resulted in monsoon depressions in the Bay of Bengal. Dhanikhari River is a seasonal or non-perennial River in the area under
investigation which swells due to copious amount of precipitation resulting floods in middle and lower basin. Heavy rains disrupt
normal life due to flooding in Nayaseher, Manglutan, Hamfraygunj, Gopalpur. The depth the Dhanikhari River basin
is high in the middle of the river. A Dam has been constructed in the middle part of the river where water accumulates during the
rainy season and this water is supplied to the nearby area for irrigation purpose and purified water supply to whole Port Blair for
drinking purpose

Fig. 1. Location of the study area (Dhanikhari watershed)

2.1 Lithology
There are four groups of rock structure found. Flysch, basalt, Mithakhari and ultrabasic were mostly dominate in the
study area (Fig. 2). Pyroxene is found linearly to be unique in North in the study area but their areal extent is very less. Most of
the study area is possessing Andaman Flysch rock. It is extending from acme to bottom of the Dhanikhari River. This rock is
moderately hard that way erosion of the river is high and carrying too much sediment that deposited at the mouth of the river. The
right bank of the river mouth is dominating basalt rock that extend few square km. That rock is hard to erosion and making right
side barrier of the river alike a dam. At the left side of the river basin is dominating Mithakhari rock. And at the top of the river
mouth ultrabasic rock is available. The river Dhanikhari is following from the south to the north through the fault and fracture and
at the stage of the river suddenly turned an approximately 90º towards the west and again it follows the north direction. The steep
of the river is very high where it originates and gradually steepness is decreasing towards the end of the river. The Dhanikhari
River is highly controlled by lithological structure.

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Fig.2. Geology of the Dhanikhari river basin.

III METHODOLOGY
In the current research, the following database were utilized for the analysis;
(1) From Survey of India Toposheet and CartoDEM 30m drainage data were obtained

(2) Geological map of the study area

(3) Satellite imagery IRS P6 L3.

For the preparation of base map, SOI toposheets on 1:50,000 scales were utilized. The georectified remote sensing satellite data of
LISS III with 23.5 m spatial resolution having four spectral bands was utilized for the study. The 30m CartoDEM was also used
to extract drainages and the morphometric analysis of the Dhanikhari watershed had been analyzed using ARC GIS 10.3 software.
The morphometric analysis of a drainage basin is agreed to be the most satisfactory and quantitative method because it allows (i)
to describe certain important variables of drainage basins numerically (ii) to comprehend the relationship between various facets
of patterns of drainages in the basin and (iii) to make a comparable assessment of various drainage basins formed in different
climatic and geologic regimes. The computed morphometric parameters includes stream order (u), stream length (Lu), basin
shape, stream frequency, Bifurcation ratio (Rb), circulatory ratio (Rc), drainage density (D) and form factor (Rf).

3.1 Analysis of Geomorphometry

Knowledge of morphometric characteristics of a drainage basin is an important pre-requisite to evaluate the basin
hydrology. The amount of water reaching a stream system is dependent upon the morphometry of the basin, total precipitation,
losses due to evapotranspiration and absorption by solid and vegetation. The drainage basin morphometry throws light on the
lithologic and structural controls of the sub-basin; relative runoff and recharge, erosional aspects and stage of development of
basin itself. In the following sections the drainage morphometric characteristics of the Dhanikhari sub basin have been evaluated.
The procedures used for the study and the results are discussed in detail in the following sections.

3.2 Morphometry

Morphometry is described as the mathematical analysis and measurement of the structure of the surface of the earth,
dimensions of its landforms and shape (Clarke, 1966). Nag and Chakraborty (2003) carried out the morphometric analysis
through the measurement of areal, linear, areal and relief aspects of the basin. The different morphometric parameters namely-
stream order (Nu), mean stream length (Lsm), stream length (Lu), stream length ratio (RL), bifurcation ratio (Rb), mean
bifurcation ratio (Rbm), stream frequency (Fs), relief ratio (Rr) drainage texture (Dt), drainage density (Dd), circulatory ratio
(Rc), from factor (Ff), length of overland flow (Lg), elongation ratio (Re) RHO Coefficient (RHO), Infiltration number (If),
Compactness constant (Cc), Basin relief (R), dissection index (DI), ruggedness index (RI) and basin slope (Sb) were measured
and the data is given in Table 1.
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3.3 Drainage Morphometric Characteristics

The Dhanikhari River comes under the trellised drainage pattern. Trellised drainage patterns are formed by the network
of tributaries and master consequent streams which follow the regional slope and are well adjusted to the geological structures.
Such patterns are developed in the area of simple folds characterized by parallel anticlinal ridges alternated by parallel synclinal
valleys. Several streams develop on both the flanks of the ridges and join the longitudinal synclinal streams at right angle. These
tributary streams are called as literal consequent streams. Thus the resultant network of numerous longitudinal streams and
transverse or lateral consequents is called trellised pattern. This pattern also resembles the rectangular patterns. In fact, the
trellised and rectangular patterns are differentiated on the basis of spacing between the streams. If the streams are closely spaced
the resultant pattern becomes trellised while rectangular pattern is formed when the streams are widely spaced.

Table 1. Formulae adopted for computation of Morphometric parameters

S.No Parameter Symbol Formula Reference
Linear Aspect
1. Stream Order Nu Hierarchical rank Strahler (1950)
2. Stream length Lu Length of the stream (Kilometers) Horton(1945)
3. Mean Stream length Lsm Lsm = Lu/Nu Strahler & Chow (1964)
4. Mean Bifurcation ratio Rbm Rbm = Average of bifurcation ratios Strahler & Chow (1964)
of all orders
5. Stream Length Ratio RL RL= Lu/(Lu-1) Horton(1945)
6. Bifurcation ratio Rb Rb =Nu/Nu+1 Schumm (1956)
7. RHO Coefficient RHO RHO = RL/Rb Horton (1945)
Areal Aspect
8. Drainage Density Dd Dd = Lu/A Horton (1945)
9. Stream frequency Fs Fs = ƩNu/A Horton (1945)
10. Drainage Texture Dt Dt = Dd x Fs Horton (1945)
11. Infiltration Number If If = Dd x Fs Zavoiance (1985)
12. Form factor Ff Ff = A/L2 Schumm(1956)
13. Circulatory Ratio Rc Rc = 4∏A/P2 Miller (1953)
14. Elongation Ratio Re Re = 1.128√A/L Miller (1953)
15. Length of Overland Flow Lg Lg = 1/2D Horton (1945)
16. Compactness Constant Cc Cc = 0.2821 P/A 0.5 Horton(1945)
Relief Aspect
17. Basin Relief R R=H–h Hadley and Schumm
(1961)
18. Relief Ratio Rr Rr = R/L Schumm(1956)
19. Dissection Index DI DI = H/Ra Magesh et al.,(2012)
20. Ruggedness Index RI RI = Dd*H/1000 Strahler (1956)
21. Basin Slope Sb Sb = (H-h)/L' Miller (1953)

IV RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

The various morphometric parameters of the Dhanikhari watershed were determined and summarized in the Table. 2.

Table 2. Computed morphometric values of Dhanikhari Sub-Basin.

S.No Parameter Symbol Calculated value
Linear Aspects
1. Stream Order Nu I(103), II(24), III(5), IV(1)
2. Stream length Lu I(47.6), II(14.3), III(16.6), IV(5.1)
3. Mean Stream length Lsm I(0.462), II(0.596),III(3.32),Iv(2.55)
4. Stream Length Ratio RL II/I(1.290),III/II(5.57), IV/III(0.768)
5. Bifurcation ratio Rb I/II (4.29), II/III(4.8),III/IV(2.5),
6. Mean Bifurcation ratio Rbm 2.9
7. RHO Coefficient RHO 0.66
Areal Aspects
8. Drainage Density Dd 3.37
9. Stream frequency Fs 5.40
10. Drainage Texture Dt 3.24
11. Infiltration Number If 18.20
12. Form factor Ff 0.204
13. Circulatory Ratio Rc 1.28
14. Elongation Ratio Re 0.144
15. Length of Overland Flow Lg 0.063
16. Compactness Constant Cc 1.51

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Relief Aspects
17. Basin Relief R 339
18. Relief Ratio Rr 20
19. Dissection Index DI 0.916
20. Ruggedness Index RI 0.74
21. Basin Slope Sb 20

4.1 Linear aspect

Linear aspects of drainage network is also referred as linear aspect of channel system. Which includes the analysis of
stream’ order, length of overland flow and stream length, mainly

4.1.1 Stream Order (Nu)

The remotely sensed data was geometrically co-registered and re-sampled taking toposheets as reference. CartoDEM
Satellite imagery was used to extract the drainage pattern and stream ordering was given in ArcGIS for better interpretation.
Determining the stream order is one of the initial steps in study of drainage basin (Horton, 1945). According to Strahler (1950),
the smallest fingertip tributaries are labelled as order I. The confluence of two I order streams assigns the downstream reach of
order II, and so on for the rest orders. A total of 134 streams were present in the Dhanikhari watershed off which 103, 24, 5 & 2
streams belongs to I, II, III and IV order respectively as depicted in the Table 2 and (Fig. 3). It is observed that the highest
frequency is in the case of I order streams followed by the II order in the area under present investigation. A drape of the stream
network over the land use and land cover as inferred from the satellite image indicate that most of I and II order streams finds its
origin on the hills covered by dense evergreen vegetation. The frequency decreases as the stream order increases and humans
settlement have flourished around Nayaseher, Manglutan, Hamfraygunj, Gopalpur, hamlets at the confluence of the III and IV
order streams. Hence higher stream order is associated with greater discharge and higher velocity of the stream flow (Blyth and
RoDda, 1973) indicating Dhanikhari River (IV order) is highly susceptible to floods during monsoon.

Fig. 3. Stream order of the Dhanikhari Watershed.

4.1.2 Stream Length (Lu)

Stream length is indicative of chronological developments of the stream segments. It is measured from mouth of a river
to drainage divide with the help of GIS software. This has been computed based on the law proposed by Horton (1945). The total
stream lengths for different stream order were worked out viz., 1st order (47.6 Km), 2nd order (14.3Km), 3rd order (16.6 Km)
and 4th order (5.1 Km) as shown in Table 2. As a thumb rule the total length of stream segments should be highest in first order
streams, and it should decreases as the stream order increases. But in the present case the total stream length of the 4th order
stream is higher than the preceding 3rd order stream. This brings out strong assumption that Dhanikhari watershed is subjected to
high rates of erosion, increased runoff and susceptible to flooding in areas around hamlets. Also these Nayaseher, Manglutan, ,
Hamfraygunj, Gopalpur hamlets are characterized by variation in Lithology and topography (Vittala et al., 2004 and Chopra et
al., 2005).

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4.1.3 Mean Stream Length (Lsm)

Mean stream length is a distinguishing property associated to the drainage network components and its related basin
surfaces (Strahler, 1964). Generally higher the order, longer the length of streams is noticed in nature. The mean stream length of
the Dhanikhari watershed were estimated as 0.462, 0.596, 3.32 and 2.55 for 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th stream order respectively as
enumerated in Table 2. A change of stream length from one order to another order of Dhanikhari watershed indicates the late
youth stage of geomorphic development of streams in the watershed (Vittala et al., 2004 and Chopra et al., 2005). However,
anomaly in the mean stream length of Dhanikhari watershed was noticed suggesting stream extension of the higher order stream
or upward extension of tributaries or inception. This exceptional change in the mean stream length of Dhanikhari basin is also an
indicator of the changes in the slope and topography, which in turn determine the age of the basin (Rudraiah et al; 2008). It also
has a direct bearing on the surface flow discharge and sedimentation stage of the Dhanikhari watershed.

4.1.4 Stream length ratio (RL)

Stream length ratio (RL) is the ratio of the mean length of the one order to the next order of the stream segments. Total
stream length of a given order is inversely related to stream order, i.e., total stream length decreases from the lower order to the
successively higher orders. The Stream length ratio of Dhanikhari river are II/I (1.290), III/II (5.57), IV/III(0.768) for 1st , 2nd and
3rd as depicted in the Table 2.This change might be attributed to variation in slope and topography, indicating the youth stage of
geomorphic development in the streams of the study area (Singh and Singh, 1997 and Vittala et al., 2004).

4.1.5 Bifurcation ratio (Rb)

The term bifurcation ratio (Rb) is used to express the ratio of the number of streams of any given order to the number of
streams in the next higher order (Schumn, 1956).The bifurcation ratio of Dhanikhari river are 4.29, 4.8, and 2.5 as enumerated in
the Table 2. The bifurcation ratio, for a given density of drainage lines, is very much controlled by basin shape and shows a very
little variation (ranging between 3 and 5) in homogeneous bedrock from one area to another (Chorley et al., 1957). The
bifurcation ratio will not be precisely the same from one order to the next because of the possibility of variations in basin
geometry and the lithology, but tends to be a constant throughout the series. Bifurcation ratios characteristically range between 3
and 5.0 for basins in which the geologic structures do not distort the drainage pattern (Strahler, 1964). The lower bifurcation ratio
values are characteristics of the watershed, which has suffered less structural disturbances and the drainage pattern has not been
distorted by the structural disturbances. The bifurcation ratio is also indicative of shape of the basin also. An elongated basin is
likely to have a high Rb, whereas a circular basin is likely to have low Rb. Abnormally high values of bifurcation ratio in the
study area can be because of steeply dipping rock strata. The average bifurcation ratios calculated for four watersheds are given
in (Table 2).

4.1.6 RHO Coefficient (RHO)

It is an important parameter that determines the relationship between the drainage density and the physiographic
development of the basin, and allows the evaluation of the storage capacity of the drainage network. It is influenced by climatic,
geologic, biologic, geomorphic, and anthropogenic factors (Horton 1945). The RHO coefficient of Dhanikhari watershed is 0.57
as depicted in Table.2.

4.2 Areal aspects

Area of a basin (A) and perimeter (P) are the important parameters in quantitative geomorphology. The area of the basin
is defined as the total area projected upon a horizontal plane. Perimeter is length of the boundary of the basin. Areal aspects
include different morphometric parameters, like drainage density (Dd), stream frequency (Fs), form factor (Rf), circulatory ratio
(Rc), elongation ratio (Re) and length of the overland flow (Lg). The values of these parameters were calculated and results have
been given in Table 2.

4.2.1 Drainage density (Dd)

It is measured as a sum of the channel lengths per unit area and obtained by dividing the total stream length by total area
of the basin. Drainage density is controlled by the type of formations in the basin areas with impervious formations will have
higher drainage density than those with pervious formations (Strahler, 1964). In an area with high precipitation, the run-off
results in more surface drainage channels. So the amount of precipitation along with vegetation & rainfall absorption capacity of
soils influences the rate of surface run-off affecting the drainage texture of an area. In general low drainage density is favoured in
regions of high resistant or highly permeable sub soil materials, under dense vegetation cover and where relief is low. High
drainage density is favoured in regions of weak or impermeable surface materials, sparse vegetation, and mountainous relief. The
drainage density is governed by the factors like rock type, run off intensity, soil type, infiltration capacity and percentage of
rocky area. The drainage density in watersheds of the study area shows 3.7 per km² (Table 2). This suggests that, it has
considerably high permeable sub-soil and coarse drainage texture.

4.2.2 Stream Frequency (Fs)

Stream frequency is a vital morphometric indicator and provides additional information concerning the response of
drainage basin to runoff process (Langbein, 1947; Chorley et al., 1957). Fs mainly depend on the lithology, rock structure,

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infiltration capacity, vegetation cover, relief, nature and amount of rainfall and subsurface material permeability of the basin
(Magesh et al., 2010). It is therefore found that the Fs and Dd value of Dhanikhari watershed is positively correlated. The Fs (5.40
no. streams/ Km²) in the study area was categorized as a moderate (Smith, 1950) as in Table 2. Moderate Fs is suggestive of
moderate relief and low infiltration capacity due to impervious sub-surface as observed in the northern parts of the study area.
This indicates that the increase in stream population is associated to that of drainage density resulting in faster downstream runoff
making the Dhanikhari watershed vulnerable to floods.

4.2.3 Drainage texture (Dt)

It is the total number of stream sequence of all orders per perimeter of that area (Horton 1945). It is one of the important
concepts of Geomorphology which means that the relative spacing of drainage lines are numerous over impermeable areas than
permeable areas. According to Horton (1945), infiltration capacity as the single important factor which influences drainage
texture & considered drainage texture which includes drainage density & stream frequency. The values of drainage texture ratio
of study area are 3.24 (Table 2). According to Smith (1950) there are five different classes of drainage texture based on drainage
density. The drainage density less than 2 indicates very coarse, between 2 & 4 is related to coarse, between 4 & 6 is moderate,
between 6,7, 8 is fine whereas above 8 is referred as very fine drainage texture. The drainage density and drainage frequency have
been collectively defined as drainage texture. Low drainage density leads to coarse drainage texture while high drainage density
leads to fine drainage texture (Ozdemir and Bird, 2009). Also it has direct association with a number of natural factors such as
climate, rainfall, vegetation, rock and soil type, infiltration capacity, relief and stage of development of the watershed (Smith,
1950). Fine Drainage texture of Dhanikhari watershed indicate that it has impervious subsurface (Ramaiah et al., 2012) resulting
in high runoff causing floods.

4.2.4 Infiltration Number (If)

Infiltration number plays a pivotal role in observing the infiltration characteristics of the basin (Zavoiance, 1985). It is
reciprocal to the infiltration capacity of the basin. The infiltration number of the Dhanikhari watershed is 18.20 (Table 2)
indicating that the infiltration capacity is very low resulting in very high runoff triggering downstream flooding.

4.2.5 Form factor (Ff)

According to Horton (1932), the form factor value varies from 0 (highly elongated shape) to the unity i.e., 1 (perfect
circular shape). Thus, the higher the value of form factor, the more the circular the shape of the basin and vice-versa. The form
factor value (0.20) estimated for the Dhanikhari sub basin reveals that the basin is elongated in shape. Among the watersheds, the
form factor values ranges from 0.22 to 0.57 which clearly shows that all the sub basins are elongated in nature.

4.2.6 Circulatory ratio (Rc)

Circulatory Ratio is helpful for assessment of flood hazard. The Rc value is mainly concerned with the length and
frequency of streams, geological structures, land use/land cover, climate, relief and slope of the basin (Rudraiah et al,
2008).Higher the circulatory ratio, higher is the flood hazard at a peak time at the outlet point. The Rc of the study area is 1.28
(Table 2) indicating that the watershed is elongated exhibiting trellis stage of the basin also suggesting it is highly vulnerable to
floods. Miller (1953) defined a dimensionless circulatory ratio (Rc) as the ratio of basin area to the area of circle having the same
perimeter as the basin. He described that the circularity ratios range from 0.4 to 0.5 which indicates strongly elongated and
permeable homogenous geologic materials.

4.2.7 Elongation Ratio (Re)

Elongation ratio (Re) is the ratio between the diameter of the circle of the same area as the drainage basin and the
maximum length of the basin. It is a very significant index in the analysis of the basin shape which helps to give idea about the
hydrological character of a drainage basin. The elongation ratio value of the Dhanikhari basin is 0.144, which indicates that the
major part of basin is of low relief.

4.2.8 Length of Overland Flow (Lg)

Length of overland flow is one of the most important Morphometric variables, which affects the hydrological and
topographic development of the basins. According to Horton (1945) other factors being constant, areas more advanced into
maturity appear to contain smaller overland flow lengths that youthful areas because a drainage basin on an average develops
maximum stream segments in its late youth and early mature stages and thus minimum length of overland flow is found. From
these observations it is inferred that within the sub basin, the watersheds such as Dhanikhari watersheds on account of their low
values are more matured. Basins with lower overland flow values also indicate that in such basins less rainfall is sufficient to
contribute a significant volume of surface run off to stream discharge. In the study area in the Dhanikhari watersheds, less rainfall
is sufficient to contribute a significant volume of surface run off to stream discharge. On the other hand in Dhanikhari watershed
which possesses higher length of overland flow, the case is reverse. For the Dhanikhari sub basin the length of overland flow
value is found to be 0.063 i.e., the rainwater on an average has to run over 0.063 km. before getting concentrated in stream
channels. In Dhanikhari watershed where the length of overland flow value is higher, the rain water has to travel relatively longer
distance before getting concentrated into stream channels. In watersheds such as Dhanikhari (where the value is low), rainwater
will enter the stream quickly.

4.2.9 Compactness Constant (Cc)

Compactness constant articulates the relationship of a hydrological basin with that of a circular basin having the same
area as the hydrologic basin (Nooka Ratnam et al., 2005). If the watershed was a perfect circle, then Cc would be equal to unity.

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The Dhanikhari watershed has a Cc value of 1.51(Table 2) suggesting that the watershed is elongated and has enough time for
discharge.

4.3 Relief Aspects

The relief aspects of a basin are related to three dimensional topographies involving volume, area and altitude of
perpendicular dimension of landforms where various morphometric approaches are utilized to examine the terrain features. In the
present study, hence, relief aspect comprises the analysis of relative reliefs, average slope etc.

4.3.1 Relative Relief

Relative relief is defined as ‘amplitude of available relief’ or ‘local relief’ which is the variance in height between the
lowest and the highest points in a unit area. It has shown to be a very significant morphometric factor which is used for assessing
the overall morphological features of topography. As suggested by Melton (1958), relative relief is calculated by dividing the
difference of height between the highest and lowest points in the basin (H) with basin perimeter (P), hence

Relative Relief = H/P.

It is calculated based on the lowest and lowest elevations and the resultant data are tabulated and categorized into three classes
viz. (i) low relative relief = 0m – 100m, (ii) moderately relative relief 100m – 300 m and (iii) high relative relief = above 300m
(Fig. 4)

Fig. 4. Digital Elevation Model map of Dhanikhari watershed.

4.3.2 Basin Relief (R)

Basin relief is an important factor in understanding the geomorphic processes and landform characteristics. The total
basin relief of the Dhanikhari basin is 339m. The lowest basin relief of Zero is observed in the plains (Table 2). It has been
observed that a high degree of correlation exists among relief and drainage frequency and stream channel slopes.

4.3.3 Relief Ratio (Rr)

Measures the overall steepness of a drainage basin and is an indicator of the intensity of erosional process operating on
slope of the basin (Schumm, 1956). The relief ratio of Dhanikhari basin is 20 (Table 2) indicating moderate relief and steep to
moderate slope.

4.3.4 Dissection Index (DI)

The Dissection Index of the Dhanikhari basin is 0.916. Is a factor implies the extent of dissection or vertical erosion and
expounds the stages of terrain or landscape development in any given physiographic region or basin. On an average, the values of
DI vary between‘0’ (complete absence of vertical dissection/erosion and hence dominance of flat surface) and ‘1’ (in exceptional
cases, vertical cliffs, it may be at vertical escarpment of hill slope or at seashore). DI value of Dhanikhar watershed is unity (Table
2) indicating that it is in the coastal frontier divulging itself in Dhanikhari.

4.3.5 Ruggedness Index (RI)

The topographic ruggedness index indicates the extent of instability of land surface (Strahler, 1956). It is derivative of
long-standing interaction between available sharpness of local relief and the amplitude of available drainage density and other
environmental parameters such as slope, precipitation, weathering, soil texture, natural vegetation etc. Ruggedness index is
measured by taking into account both relief and drainage. The measured value of RI of Dhanikhari watershed is 0.741 (Table 2).

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4.3.6 Basin Slope (Sb)
Slope analysis is an important parameter in geomorphic studies. The slope elements, in turn are controlled by the
climatomorphogenic processes in the area having the rock of varying resistance. An understanding of slope distribution is
essential as a slope map provides data for planning, settlement, mechanization of agriculture, deforestation, planning of
engineering structures, morphoconservation practices etc. (Sreedevi et al. 2005). In the study area slope map was prepared based
on ASTER DEM data of 30 mt. were converted into slope using Arcview method (ESRI, 2000). Slope grid is identified as “the
maximum rate of change in value from each cell to its neighbours, using methodology described in Burrough (1986).The
calculated slope in percentage are Level to gentle (0 to 5%), Gentle (5-15%), Moderate (15-25%) Moderately steep (25-40%) and
Steeper (>40%) of the study area (Fig. 5).The lower Dhanikhari river watershed area slope varies from 0° to 20 with a mean slope
of 2.56° and Slope Standard Deviation 3.83°. A high degree of slope is noticed in the north western and north western parts of the
basin. The elevation in the study area ranges from 20 to 339 mt. which extracted from the ASTER DEM

Fig. 5. Slope map of the Dhanikhari watershed.

V CONCLUSION
The quantitative analysis of morphometric parameters is of immense utility in river basin evaluation, watershed analysis
for soil and water conservation and natural resource management at micro level. The morphometric parameters evaluated using
GIS helped to understand various terrain parameters such as nature of bedrock, infiltration capacity, runoff, etc. The study reveals
that drainage network of the basin is mainly trellis type indicative of homogeneity in texture and it’s full of structural control. The
drainage basin is being frequently selected as an ideal geomorphological unit. Watershed as a basic unit of morphometric analysis
has become importance because of its topographic and hydrological unity. Drainage density and stream frequency are the most
useful criterion for the morphometric classification of drainage basins which certainly control the runoff pattern, sediment yield
and other hydrological parameters of the drainage basin. The drainage density in watersheds of the study area shows variation
from 0.84 to 4.30 per km2 suggesting low to moderate drainage density ultimately depicting considerably permeable sub-soil
throughout the study area. It is noted that the Rf values indicate that all the watersheds are more or less elongated to sub-circular
in shape. The values of Lg are low in all watersheds indicating overall considerably high relief in area. Relief ratio indicates that
the discharge capability of these watersheds is very high. ASTER data provides the opportunity for extracting elevation
information from base to top images and the GIS is a very important and useful tool for morphometric analysis.

VI ACKNOWLEDGMENT
I would like to thank DST- Scientific and Engineering Research Board (SERB) for providing National Post-Doctoral
Fellowship, Sanction Order No. PDF/2016/000533, under which the research has been carried out.

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