Morphometric analysis of the Jilledubanderu River Basin, Anantapur District, Andhra Pradesh, India, using geospatial technologies

Morphometry is a tool to search for groundwater resources through the studies of various landforms and drainage system. The drainage pattern is an important prerequisite in evaluating the basin hydrology through the knowledge of morphometric parameters. The system of streaming wherein the water reaches the streams is dependent upon the morphometric characteristics of the basin. The extracted drainage network was classified according to Strahler's system and it reveals that the basin exhibits dendritic to sub-dendritic drainage pattern. The Jilledubanderu River Basin is sprawled over an area of 486.95 km(2) and forms a part of the Chitravathi River system. The study area is designated as sixth-order basin and lower order streams mostly dominate the basin with the average drainage density of 1.96 km/km(2). The slope of basin varies from 0 degrees to >35 degrees and the slope variation is chiefly controlled by the local geology and erosion cycles. The elongation ratio value is 0.66 indicating the basin has elongated shape with moderate relief and steep slopes. The drainage texture of the basin is 5.69 which indicate an intermediate texture that exists over the region. Hence, from the study, it can be concluded that remote sensing data (SRTM-DEM) coupled with geospatial techniques prove to be a competent tool in morphometric analysis and the data can be used for basin management and other hydrological studies in future.