Subbasin Prioritization Based on The Morphometric Parameters and Sediment Yield Using Geospatial Analysis: A Case Study of Tamor Basin, Nepal
Abstract
This research article presents a case study of watershed prioritization based on morphometric parameters and sediment yield in the Tamor basin of eastern Nepal using geospatial analysis. In this research, watershed prioritization was done by dividing into 8 sub watersheds. The SRTM DEM was used for the analysis of morphometric parameters such as linear, arial and relief whereas the data’s such as rainfall, soil map, slope map, LANDSAT 7 image and landcover map were used to determine the sediment yield in the study area. The compound values were estimated for the prioritizing the subbasin of the watershed by morphometric parameters. The subbasin 1 and Subbasin 2 had lowest value of 2.67 and 1.67 respectively which means that it falls under highly priority. The higher priority for this subbasin was due to higher drainage density, lower bifurcation ratio and higher Ruggedness number. The subbasin 7 and Subbasin 6 falls under lower priority with the compound values of 5.22 and 4.33 respectively. The lower priority was due to lower drainage density, bifurcation ratio and lower Ruggedness number. The sediment yield was maximum in the upper reaches of the basin i.e., subbasin 1 and subbasin 2 with the average yield of 26.9 million Tons/year and 18.1 million Ton/Year. The sediment yield was seen minimum in the subbasin 7 with the figure of 5.5 million Tons/year. Based on the sediment yield, the subbasin 2 should be prioritized at the top and subbasin 7 should be least prioritized. The contribution of the sediment by subbasin 2and subbasin 7 to the Tamor watershed were 27% and 5% respectively.
Keywords
References
- Adhami M. & Sadeghi S.H. 2016. Sub-watershed prioritization based on sediment yield using game theory. Journal of Hydrology, 541, 977–987.
- Adhikari S. 2020. Morphometric Analysis of a Drainage Basin: A Study of Ghatganga River, Bajhang District, Nepal. The Geographic Base, 7, 127-144.
- Agarwal C.S. 1998. Study of drainage pattern through aerial data in Naugarh area of Varanasi District, U.P. J Indian Soc Remote Sens., 26, 169–175.
- Altaf S., Meraj G. & Romshoo S.A. 2014. Morphometry and land cover based multi-criteria analysis for assessing the soil erosion susceptibility of the western Himalayan watershed. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, 186(12), 8391–8412.
- Asfaw D. & Workineh G. 2019. Quantitative analysis of morphometry on Ribb and Gumara watersheds: Implications for soil and water conservation. International Soil and Water Conservation Research, 7(2), 150-157.
- Bajracharya A.R., Bajracharya S.R., Shrestha A.B. & Maharjan S.B. 2018. Climate change impact assessment on the hydrological regime of the Kaligandaki Basin, Nepal. Sci Total Environ, 625, 837-848.
- Bakker M.M., Govers G., Kosmas C., Vanacker V., Van Oost K. & Rounsevell M. 2005. Soil erosion as a driver of land-use change. Agric. Ecosyst. Environ., 105, 467–481.
- Bharati L., Gurung P., Jayakody P., Smakhtin V. & Bhattarai U. 2014. The projected impact of climate change on water availability and development in the Koshi Basin, Nepal. Mt. Res. Dev., 34(2), 118–130.
Details
Primary Language
English
Subjects
Sustainable Agricultural Development
Journal Section
Research Article
Publication Date
June 30, 2026
Submission Date
January 14, 2026
Acceptance Date
May 30, 2026
Published in Issue
Year 2026 Volume: 10 Number: 1