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Watershed Prioritisation of Drainage Basins Based on Geomorphometric Parameters, Neyyar Watershed, India

Padala Raja Shekar
Padala Raja Shekar
 and 
Aneesh Mathew
Aneesh Mathew
   | Jun 27, 2023
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Published Online: Jun 27, 2023
Page range: 29 - 47
Received: Oct 10, 2022
Accepted: Mar 22, 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14746/quageo-2023-0022
© 2023 Padala Raja Shekar et al., published by Sciendo
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Fig. 1.

Location map and hypsometric map of the study area, Neyyar watershed.
Location map and hypsometric map of the study area, Neyyar watershed.

Fig. 2.

Methodology used in the present study.
Methodology used in the present study.

Fig. 3.

Map of drainage networks and sub-watersheds.
Map of drainage networks and sub-watersheds.

Fig. 4.

Relationship between each sub-watershed’s stream number and stream order.
Relationship between each sub-watershed’s stream number and stream order.

Fig. 5.

Relationship between each sub-watersheds stream length and stream order.
Relationship between each sub-watersheds stream length and stream order.

Fig. 6.

Percentage of each sub-watersheds area.
Percentage of each sub-watersheds area.

Fig. 7.

Perimeter of each sub-watershed.
Perimeter of each sub-watershed.

Fig. 8.

Watershed length of each sub-watershed.
Watershed length of each sub-watershed.

Fig. 9.

Fifteen morphometric parameters of each sub-watersheds.
Fifteen morphometric parameters of each sub-watersheds.

Fig. 10.

Whiskers box plots of 15 morphometric parameters.
Whiskers box plots of 15 morphometric parameters.

Fig. 11.

Priority of SWs based on three methods (A is morphometric analysis, B is PCA and C is hypsometric analysis). PCA, principal component analysis; SWs, sub-watersheds.
Priority of SWs based on three methods (A is morphometric analysis, B is PCA and C is hypsometric analysis). PCA, principal component analysis; SWs, sub-watersheds.

Fig. 12.

Hypsometric curve and hypsometric integral HI.
Hypsometric curve and hypsometric integral HI.

Methods or formulae of parameters used in this study.

Parameter Formulae or methods References
Methods or formulae for linear parameters
Stream order (U) Hierarchical rank Strahler (1964)
Stream number (Nu) Nu = Nu1 + Nu2 + ··· + Nun Horton (1945)
Stream length (Lu) Lu = Lu1 + Lu2 + ··· + Lun Horton (1945)
Mean bifurcation ratio (Rbm) Average of bifurcation ratio of all orders Strahler (1957)
Bifurcation ratio (Rb) Rb = (Nu / Nu+1) Strahler (1964)
Mean stream length ratio (Rlm) Average of the steam length ratio of all orders Strahler (1964)
Stream length ratio (Rl) Rl = (Lu / Lu−1) Horton (1945)
Drainage density (Dd) Dd = (ΣLu) / A Schumm (1956)
Stream frequency (Fs) Fs = (ΣNu) / A Schumm (1956)
Length of overland flow (Lo) Lo = (1 / (2Dd)) Horton (1945)
Drainage texture (Dt) Dt = (ΣNu) / P Schumm (1956)
Drainage intensity (Di) Di = (Fs / Dd) Faniran (1968)
RHO coefficient (ρ) (Rlm / Rbm) Horton (1945)
Methods or formulae for relief parameters
Maximum elevation (H) GIS software –
Minimum elevation (h) GIS software –
Relief (Bh) Bh = H–h Strahler (1952a)
Ruggedness number (Rn) Rn = Bh × Dd Strahler (1952b)
Relative relief (Rhp) Rhp = H × 100 / P Melton (1957)
Methods or formulae for areal or shape parameters
Perimeter of watershed (P) GIS software –
Area of watershed (A) GIS software –
Compactness coefficient (Cc) Cc = (P / 2(πA)0.5) Horton (1945)
Form factor (Ff) Ff = (A / Lb2) Horton (1945)
Elongation ratio (Re) Re = (2 (A / π)0.5) / (Lb) Schumm (1956)
Watershed length (Lb) Lb = 1.312 × A0.568 Nookaratnam et al. (2005)
Circulatory ratio (Rc) Rc = 4πA / P2, where π = 3.14 Miller (1953)
Method or formula for hypsometric analysis
Elevation-to-relief ratio (E) E = (Mean elevation − minimum elevation / Maximum elevation − minimum elevation) Pike and Wilson (1971)

Final ranking of morphometric analysis.

Parameter SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4 SW5 SW6 SW7 SW8 SW9 SW10 SW11
Mean bifurcation ratio   8 10 11   7   6   5   2   3   9   4   1
Mean steam length ratio 10   6   7   3 11   4   8   5   9   1   2
Stream frequency   2   1   4   5 11   9   6   8 10   3   7
Drainage density   2   1   6   7 11   9   4 10   8   3   5
Drainage texture   1   2   4   5 11   9   6 10   7   3   8
Length of overland flow 10 11   6   5   1   3   8   2   4   9   7
RHO coefficient   3   9   8 11   1   7   2   5   4 10   6
Drainage intensity   2   1   4   5 11   9   7   6 10   3   8
Relief   1   4   2   3   6   5   8   7   9 11 10
Relative ratio   1   3   2   4   6   5   8   7 11   9 10
Ruggedness number   1   3   2   4   6   5   8   7 11   9 10
Circulatory ratio   8   9 11 10   1   6   5   2   4   7   3
Elongation ratio   7 11   8   9   2   5   6   3   1 10   4
Form factor   7 11   8   9   2   5   6   3   1 10   4
Compactness coefficient   4   3   1   2 11   6   7 10   8   5   9
Sum of rankings (X) 67 85 84 89 97 92 91 88 106 97 94
Total number of parameters (Y) 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
Compound parameter (X/Y) 4.47 5.67 5.60 5.93 6.47 6.13 6.07 5.87 7.07 6.47 6.27
Ranking   1   3   2   5   9   7   6   4 11 10   8
Final priority High Medium Medium Medium Low Medium Medium Medium Low Low Low

Correlogram of 15 morphometric parameters.

Rbm Rlm Fs Dd Dt Lo p Di Bh Rhp Rn Rc Re Ff Cc
Rbm 1
Rlm 0.45 1
Fs −0.40 0.08 1
Dd −0.36 0.09 0.97 1
Dt −0.54 −0.06 0.92 0.89 1
Lo 0.33 −0.13 −0.95 −0.99 −0.88 1
p 0.27 −0.72 −0.41 −0.36 −0.37 0.39 1
Di −0.39 0.13 0.99 0.93 0.92 −0.91 −0.47 1
Bh −0.68 −0.32 0.42 0.41 0.65 −0.40 −0.19 0.43 1
Rhp −0.73 −0.26 0.51 0.49 0.69 −0.49 −0.29 0.51 0.98 1
Rn −0.68 −0.33 0.52 0.50 0.73 −0.49 −0.17 0.51 0.99 0.98 1
Rc −0.62 0.20 0.51 0.49 0.61 −0.52 −0.68 0.54 0.71 0.79 0.68 1
Re −0.24 0.39 0.81 0.80 0.61 −0.80 −0.59 0.80 0.29 0.41 0.33 0.66 1
Ff −0.25 0.39 0.81 0.80 0.61 −0.80 −0.59 0.80 0.29 0.41 0.33 0.66 1.00 1
Cc 0.59 −0.23 −0.56 −0.54 −0.65 0.57 0.68 −0.59 −0.69 −0.76 −0.67 −0.99 −0.69 −0.68 1

Neyyar basin linear parameters.

SW Stream order(maximum) Stream number(ΣNu) Stream length(ΣLu) Mean bifurcation ratio(Σ Rbm) Mean stream length ratio(Σ Rlm)
SW 1 5 147 83 3.44 0.49
SW 2 5 99 51 3.07 0.62
SW 3 5 97 70 2.92 0.58
SW 4 4 74 56 3.78 0.80
SW 5 4 77 87 3.96 0.46
SW 6 4 92 77 4.11 0.77
SW 7 4 104 81 4.56 0.55
SW 8 4 102 79 4.49 0.66
SW 9 5 138 120 3.36 0.49
SW 10 4 90 54 4.24 0.86
SW 11 4 113 90 4.58 0.85

Rotated component matrix (strong coefficients are marked by the bold font).

Parameter Component
1 2 3
Rbm −0.177 −0.814   0.031
Rlm   0.084 −0.414   0.855
Fs   0.951   0.256   0.125
Dd   0.956   0.229   0.106
Dt   0.802   0.515   0.039
Lo −0.937 −0.227 −0.148
ρ −0.232 −0.183 −0.884
Di   0.918   0.263   0.185
Bh   0.200   0.945 −0.002
Rhp   0.277   0.937   0.087
Rn   0.311   0.911 −0.055
Rc   0.278   0.723   0.597
Re   0.752   0.139   0.544
Ff   0.758   0.149   0.533
Cc −0.336 −0.686 −0.599

Descriptive statistics of morphometric parameters.

Parameter N Minimum Maximum Sum Mean Standard error Variance Standard deviation Median 25 percentiles 75 percentiles Skewness Kurtosis
Rbm 11 2.92 4.58 42.50 3.86 0.18 0.36 0.60 3.96 3.36 4.49 −0.31 −1.33
Rlm 11 0.46 0.86 7.15 0.65 0.05 0.02 0.15 0.62 0.49 0.80 0.27 −1.61
Fs 11 1.40 4.41 28.58 2.60 0.28 0.83 0.91 2.38 1.94 3.43 0.93   0.09
Dd 11 1.58 2.27 20.27 1.84 0.07 0.06 0.24 1.83 1.62 2.06 0.61 −0.68
Dt 11 1.21 3.38 24.03 2.18 0.18 0.37 0.61 1.98 1.88 2.49 0.64   0.45
Lo 11 0.22 0.32 3.03 0.28 0.01 0.00 0.03 0.27 0.24 0.31 −0.26 −1.13
ρ 11 4.72 8.55 67.67 6.15 0.42 1.92 1.39 5.38 4.96 6.98 0.70 −0.96
Di 11 0.89 1.94 15.15 1.38 0.09 0.09 0.30 1.29 1.20 1.67 0.55   0.08
Bh 11 0.11 1.72 6.37 0.58 0.17 0.32 0.57 0.35 0.11 0.73 1.24   0.48
Rhp 11 0.18 4.17 16.46 1.50 0.46 2.32 1.52 0.64 0.34 2.46 0.99 −0.47
Rn 11 0.18 3.71 12.28 1.12 0.36 1.39 1.18 0.56 0.22 1.65 1.40   1.16
Rc 11 0.17 0.31 2.52 0.23 0.01 0.00 0.05 0.25 0.18 0.26 0.24 −1.24
Re 11 0.64 0.70 7.35 0.67 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.67 0.66 0.68 0.29 −0.11
Ff 11 0.32 0.38 3.86 0.35 0.00 0.00 0.02 0.35 0.34 0.37 0.32 −0.13
Cc 11 1.79 2.42 23.32 2.12 0.07 0.05 0.22 2.01 1.97 2.34 0.07 −1.68

Final ranking of hypsometric analysis.

Parameter SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4 SW5 SW6 SW7 SW8 SW9 SW10 SW11
HI 0.37 0.24 0.32 0.28 0.15 0.16 0.33 0.34 0.32 0.39 0.38
Ranking 9 3 6 4 1 2 7 8 5 11 10
Final priority High Medium Low Medium Low Low High High High High High

Final ranking of principal component analysis.

Parameter SW 1 SW2 SW 3 SW4 SW 5 SW6 SW7 SW8 SW 9 SW10 SW11
Drainage density 2 1 6 7 11 9 4 10 8 3 5
RHO coefficient 3 9 8 11 1 7 2 5 4 10 6
Relief 1 4 2 3 6 5 8 7 9 11 10
Sum of rankings (X) 6 14 16 21 18 21 14 22 21 24 21
Total number of parameters (Y) 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
Compound parameter (X/Y) 2 4.67 5.33 7 6 7 4.67 7.33 7 8 7
Ranking 1 2 4 6 5 7 3 10 8 11 9
Final priority High Medium Medium Low Low Low Medium Low Low Low Low

Total variance of the morphometric indices explained (15 morphometric parameters).

Component (15 morphometric parameters) Initial eigenvalues Extraction sums of squared loadings Rotation sums of squared loadings
Total % of variance Cumulative (%) Total % of variance Cumulative (%) Total % of variance Cumulative (%)
1 9.065 60.430 60.430 9.065 60.430 60.430 5.817 38.781 38.781
2 2.921 19.471 79.902 2.921 19.471 79.902 5.007 33.382 72.164
3 1.744 11.629 91.530 1.744 11.629 91.530 2.905 19.367 91.530
4 0.521 3.471 95.001
5 0.461 3.076 98.076
6 0.165 1.100 99.176
7 0.109 0.724 99.900
8 0.011 0.074 99.974
9 0.003 0.018 99.992
10 0.001 0.008 100.000
11 2.101E-16 1.401E-15 100.000
12 8.838E-17 5.892E-16 100.000
13 2.866E-17 1.911E-16 100.000
14 −3.703E-16 −2.468E-15 100.000
15 −9.560E-16 −6.373E-15 100.000

Common priority of three methods (high = H, medium = M, low = L).

Method SW1 SW2 SW3 SW4 SW5 SW6 SW7 SW8 SW9 SW10 SW11
Morphometric analysis H M M M L M M M L L L
PCA H M M L L L M L L L L
Hypsometric analysis H M L M L L H H H H H
Common priority H M M M L L M – L L L
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