Geospatial approach to elucidate anomalies in the hierarchical organization of drainage network in Kuttiyadi River Basin, Southern India

Abstract

An assessment of anomalies in the hierarchical organization of the drainage network in the Kuttiyadi River Basin (KuRB), Kerala, has been performed by considering various morphometric parameters such as bifurcation index (R), hierarchical anomaly index (Δa), hierarchical anomaly density (ga), and stream gradient index (SL) in a geographical information system (GIS) platform. Further, a digital elevation model (DEM) of the area has been generated from Cartosat stereo pair data at 2.5-m resolution. The computed quantitative information about drainage characteristics reveals the highest drainage anomaly is observed in sub-watersheds (SW) III and IV. It is observed that neo-tectonic activity caused the development of younger stage drainage patterns of structural controls in the sub-watersheds of this river basin. The tectonic activity-induced diffusion, high energy fluvial erosion, and anthropogenic interferences altered the hierarchical organization of the drainage network of the sub-watersheds in mature to old stages of geomorphic evolution. The results of finding validated with asymmetry factor and ratio of the hierarchical index (Δa) with hierarchical anomaly number (A), bifurcation index (R), direct bifurcation ratio (R_db), stream gradient index (SL), and denudation index (logTu). From the denudation index analysis, the sediment yield of the river basin is identified as 0.67 t·km⁻²·yr⁻¹. Moreover, the asymmetric factor (AF) in the KuRB shows the imprints of Paleo−Neo Proterozoic crustal tilting toward a NNW−SSE direction.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

river basin / hierarchical anomaly / bifurcation index / stream gradient index / denudation index / Cartosat-1 DEM

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Acknowledgment

The authors are grateful to the Executive Director, Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM), Kozhikode, Kerala, India, for the facilities provided to prepare this manuscript. Thanks also to Mrs. Drishya Girish Bhai, Senior geologist, Geological Survey of India, NER Shillong, for the technical support to prepare this paper.

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