Spatiotemporal variability of channel and bar morphodynamics in the Gorai-Madhumati River, Bangladesh using remote sensing and GIS techniques

Abstract

Bangladesh is a riparian country that is crisscrossed by the many tributaries and distributaries of the mighty Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna river systems. Gorai-Madhumati, a distributary of the Ganges River is an example where morphological development of the river is associated with frequent channel shifting within the catchment area. The main objective of this research is to quantify the extent of channel migration, erosion-accretion, river width, sinuosity, and charland morpho-dynamics from 1972 to 2018 using geospatial techniques combined with satellite images and hydrological data. The study also addressed the impacts of Farakka Barrage construction in India on the shifting, flow behavior, and siltation of Gorai-Madhumati River. The study shows that bar surface areas have abnormally increased in both segments after 1975 due to the construction of Farakka Barrage. Water flow in the Gorai-Madhumati has dropped remarkably in the downstream and instigated huge sedimentation in this region. Analysis of the time series satellite images revealed that the morphology of the river channel experienced huge changes simultaneously with the changes in the seasonal flow and sedimentation all over the study period. Migration trend has frequently shifted and taken place in the NW and NE direction in the observed sections of the river. Throughout the study period, total amount of accretion was greater than the net percentage of erosion on both banks of the river. River discharge, bar accretion, and erosion history show that the Gorai-Madhumati River will no longer exist with the present flowing condition without attention and proper river management.

Keywords

channel migration / erosion-accretion / morphodynamics / geospatial techniques / Gorai-Madhumati / Bangladesh

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Acknowledgments

Authors really appreciate to Dr. Anwar Zahid, Deputy Director, BWDB, for proving available data to conduct the study. We are pleased to acknowledge the department of Geology, University of Dhaka for giving us the laboratory amenities to perform software analysis. The authors are also thankful to the anonymous reviewers for their comments and suggestions.

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2020 Higher Education Press