Morphometric analysis and prioritization of Virupapura micro-watersheds using GIS and remote sensing techniques in Cauvery River Basin, India
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Plant Pathology, College of Agriculture
- 2Department of Agricultural Engineering, College of Agriculture, University of Agricultural Sciences
- 3Department of Forest Resource Management, College of Forestry, Navsari Agricultural University
- 4ICAR- Indian Agricultural Research Institute
- 5Department of Soil and Water Conservation Engineering, Kelappaji College of Agricultural Engineering and Food Technology, Kerala Agricultural University
Abstract
Morphometric analysis is important for understanding watershed behaviour and supporting sustainable resource management, especially under changing climate and water stress conditions. This study evaluates morphometric characteristics and prioritizes eight micro-watersheds in the Virupapura sub-watershed, Cauvery River Basin, Karnataka, using GIS and remote sensing techniques. Watershed delineation, drainage extraction and parameter calculations were carried out using a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) in ArcGIS 10.8, and stream ordering was performed using the Arthur Strahler [66] method. The watershed is a fifth-order basin with a well-developed drainage network consisting of 119 first-order streams and a high bifurcation ratio (7.75–9.50), indicating structural control. Moderate drainage density (2.164 km/km2) and stream frequency (2.74) suggest balanced runoff and infiltration, while the elongated basin shape and gentle slope reduce erosion risk. Hypsometric analysis showed integral values ranging from 0.151 to 0.484, indicating that the micro-watersheds are in mature to old geomorphic stages with varying levels of erosion susceptibility. Based on prioritization ranking using compound factor (Cf) values, Dholenahalli (Rank 1; Cf = 3.1) was identified as the most critical micro-watershed requiring immediate conservation measures, followed by Chikkamaskallu (Rank 2; Cf = 3.6) and K.G. Mallappanahalli (Rank 3; Cf = 3.9). These results are consistent with recent studies in semi-arid regions reporting increasing watershed degradation under climate variability and anthropogenic pressure. Given present challenges such as groundwater depletion, irregular rainfall and land degradation, the study highlights the need for targeted soil and water conservation measures, rainwater harvesting structures and scientific watershed planning for long-term sustainability.
Related
- Introducing a new normalized cryospheric index (NCI) to categorize sub-watersheds on arid environments
- Collection-informed environmental prioritization of unused household pharmaceuticals using FASS 2025 classification, risk quotients, and TOPSIS-based decision analysis
- Integrating land-use dynamics, water quality, and multi-criteria ecological suitability for fish sanctuary prioritization in three major river basins of Bangladesh
- SCREEN-LCA: Ex-ante prioritization of bio-based pathways for chemicals and plastics under a climate-mitigation objective
- Regional risk assessment part I: Prioritization of potentially contaminated sites
BibTeX
@article{madhura2026morphometric,
title = {{Morphometric analysis and prioritization of Virupapura micro-watersheds using GIS and remote sensing techniques in Cauvery River Basin, India}},
author = {B. Madhura and P. Praveen and Premkumara and K. B. Sneha and Mukesh Kumar Tiwari and Mallikarjun Reddy and Rajesh Gudihalli Munivenkatappa},
journal = {Discover Environment},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1007/s44274-026-00879-x},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s44274-026-00879-x},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Morphometric analysis and prioritization of Virupapura micro-watersheds using GIS and remote sensing techniques in Cauvery River Basin, India
AU - B. Madhura
AU - P. Praveen
AU - Premkumara
AU - K. B. Sneha
AU - Mukesh Kumar Tiwari
AU - Mallikarjun Reddy
AU - Rajesh Gudihalli Munivenkatappa
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/25
JO - Discover Environment
DO - 10.1007/s44274-026-00879-x
UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/s44274-026-00879-x
AB - Morphometric analysis is important for understanding watershed behaviour and supporting sustainable resource management, especially under changing climate and water stress conditions. This study evaluates morphometric characteristics and prioritizes eight micro-watersheds in the Virupapura sub-watershed, Cauvery River Basin, Karnataka, using GIS and remote sensing techniques. Watershed delineation, drainage extraction and parameter calculations were carried out using a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) in ArcGIS 10.8, and stream ordering was performed using the Arthur Strahler [66] method. The watershed is a fifth-order basin with a well-developed drainage network consisting of 119 first-order streams and a high bifurcation ratio (7.75–9.50), indicating structural control. Moderate drainage density (2.164 km/km2) and stream frequency (2.74) suggest balanced runoff and infiltration, while the elongated basin shape and gentle slope reduce erosion risk. Hypsometric analysis showed integral values ranging from 0.151 to 0.484, indicating that the micro-watersheds are in mature to old geomorphic stages with varying levels of erosion susceptibility. Based on prioritization ranking using compound factor (Cf) values, Dholenahalli (Rank 1; Cf = 3.1) was identified as the most critical micro-watershed requiring immediate conservation measures, followed by Chikkamaskallu (Rank 2; Cf = 3.6) and K.G. Mallappanahalli (Rank 3; Cf = 3.9). These results are consistent with recent studies in semi-arid regions reporting increasing watershed degradation under climate variability and anthropogenic pressure. Given present challenges such as groundwater depletion, irregular rainfall and land degradation, the study highlights the need for targeted soil and water conservation measures, rainwater harvesting structures and scientific watershed planning for long-term sustainability.
SN - 2731-9431
ER -