CHAPTER 3

MORPHOMETRIC ANALYSIS

3.1 Introduction

Morphometric characteristics of a river basin reflect its hydrological

behavior and are useful in evaluating the hydrologic response of the

basin. Quantitative morphometric analysis facilitates understanding of

the drainage development, surface run-off generation, infiltration

capacity of the ground and groundwater potential. The watershed of the

Mhadei River is an integral part of the Mandovi River Basin (Fig. 3.1)

and hence the morphometric setup of the entire Mandovi River basin

has been studied.

3.2 Mandovi River Basin

River Mandovi is an interstate river that originates in the Western Ghats

and flows down the entire width of the State of Goa to discharge into

the Arabian Sea. The Mandovi River basin extends over an area of 2017

km2, of which 1551 km2 (77%) lies in Goa, 394 km2 (19.5%) lies in

Karnataka and the remaining 72 km2 (3.5%) lies in the State of

Maharashtra (Fig. 3.1). It is regarded as the lifeline of the State of Goa

as its watershed covers about 42% of the total area of the State

resulting in extensive use of its water for drinking and agriculture

purposes. It also serves as an important internal navigation route for

commercial purpose. The basin of the Mandovi River extends over all

78
the physiographic divisions of Goa, namely the Coastal plain, the

Midland region and the Western Ghats, as well as on the Karnataka

plateau. The river originates in the Khanapur taluka of Belgaum district

located on the western fringe of the Karnataka plateau. Here it is called

as the Mahadayi or Mhadei (meaning the Great Mother). Initially, for

some distance it flows due north-east, then takes a turn and flows due

south-west. The Kotrachi nadi, the Surla nadi and Ragda nadi form the

main tributaries of the Mhadei River. At Usgao, the Mhadei River is

joined by the other major tributary, namely, the Khandepar River.

Then onwards it is referred to as the Mandovi River which flows due

north-west. At Amona, it is joined by the Valvanti River which has two

main tributaries, namely, the Bicholim River and the Kudne River.

Further, the Mandovi enters the coastal plains where the river channel

bifurcates and re-converges around the Diwar Island. Then, it is joined

by the Mapusa River (which has two tributaries namely, the Asnode

River and the Moida River) and the Sinquerim River on the coastal

plains before it discharges into the Arabian Sea.

The Mandovi River basin has been divided into five watersheds namely

Mhadei, Khandepar, Valvanti, Mapusa and Sinquerim watershed (Fig

3.2). The streams directly joining the Mandovi River have been grouped

under Lower Mandovi watershed.

79
Figure 3.1 Map showing the entire Mandovi River basin.

80
Figure 3.2 Map showing all the watersheds of Mandovi River basin.

81
The Khandepar and Valvanti River watersheds are partially situated in

the Midland region of Goa and partially in the Western Ghats. The

Mhadei River watershed is also situated on these two physiographic

zones and further extends onto the Karnataka plateau. However, the

Mapusa and Sinquerim river watersheds along with the Lower Mandovi

watershed are situated in the Coastal plain of Goa. The drainage

network of all the watersheds of Mandovi River basin has been digitized

in a GIS platform (Figures 3.3, 3.4 and 3.5).

82
Figure 3.3 Drainage network of Mhadei River watershed

83
Figure 3.4 Drainage network of Khandepar River watershed

84
Figure 3.5 Drainage network of Valvanti, Mapusa, Sinquerim and Lower Mandovi watersheds

85
3.3 Morphometric Parameters:

The morphometric parameters of the Mandovi River basin have been

broadly classified into two categories, namely basic parameters and

derived parameters.

3.3.1 Basic Parameters

1. Basin Area (A): Basin area is the area of the catchment of the

watershed of a channel network as projected onto a horizontal plane.

The size of the basin affect the total volume of rainwater received, the

total runoff produced and thus the stream discharge. The basin area of

Mandovi River basin and its constituent watersheds are given in Table

3.1.

2. Basin Length (Lb): Basin length of a watershed is the aerial

distance between the watershed outlet and the farthest point on the

perimeter of the watershed (Gregory and Walling, 1973). Basin lengths

of all the watersheds of Mandovi River basin and the entire Mandovi

basin are given in Table 3.1.

3. Basin Perimeter (P): Basin perimeter is the length of the

watershed boundary that encloses the catchment area. It is used in

conjunction with the basin area to give a measure of the departure of

the basin from a true circle and in conjunction with relief to give a

measure of the general steepness of the basin. The perimeter of the

Mandovi River basin is 283.5 km (Table 3.1).

86
4. Main Stream Length (SL): The main stream length is the length of

the main stream having maximum length measured along the stream

course. The time of concentration is always maximum along this

stream. The main stream length of the Mandovi River is 116 km. The

initial 34 km of this length lies in the State of Karnataka while the later

82 km is located in the State of Goa.

5. Total Relief (H): Total relief is the difference between the highest

elevation and the lowest elevation in the watershed. The highest

elevation in the Mandovi River basin (1026 m amsl) is at Darsinga in

the Western Ghats while the lowest elevation (0 m amsl) is at the

mouth of the river at Panaji.

Table 3.1 Watershed-wise basic morphometric parameters of the

Mandovi River basin.

Basin Peri- Main Total

Area length meter stream Highest Lowest relief
(km2) (km) (km) length elevat- elevat- (m)
Watershed (A) (Lb) (P) (SL) (km) ion (m) ion (m) (H)
Mhadei 899.46 47.1 170.6 77 1026 5 1021
Khandepar 439.06 37.9 136.5 69 845 5 840
Valvanti 277.15 24.5 92 31.50 725 0 725
Mapusa 189.77 22.1 77.5 31 210 0 210
Sinquerim 18.68 6 17.5 13 79 0 79
Lower
Mandovi 193.25 - - - - - -
Entire
Mandovi 2017.37 73.5 283.5 116 1026 0 1026

87
6. Stream Order (u): Stream order is the relative position or rank of a

stream channel segment in a drainage network. According to Strahler’s

(1952) system, the smallest un-branched stream i.e. finger tip stream

with no tributaries is designated as the 1st order stream, the one

formed by the merging of two such 1st order segments is the 2nd order

stream and so on. Stream order is a useful indicator of stream size,

drainage area and discharge (Strahler, 1964). All the streams of the

watersheds of Mandovi River basin have been designated according to

the Strahler’s system (Table 3.2).

7) Stream Number (Nu): The number of stream segments in each

order is counted separately and is called as the stream number of that

order. The stream number follows Horton’s (1932) law of stream

number which states that the number of streams in different orders in a

given drainage basin tends to closely approximate an inverse geometric

series in which the first term is unity. The stream number of each order

for all the watersheds of Mandovi River basin are given in Table 3.2.

The lower order streams directly joining the Mandovi River have been

put together as lower Mandovi streams.

88
Table 3.2 Watershed-wise Stream Number of each Order

Stream Number (Nu)

Ist IInd IIIrd IVth Vth VIth VIIth
Watershed order order order order order order order TOTAL
Mhadei 3908 692 171 47 8 2 1 4829
Khandepar 2336 514 136 30 7 1 - 3024
Valvanti 1032 252 51 15 4 1 - 1355
Mapusa 367 89 26 8 3 1 - 494
Sinquerim 30 6 1 - - - - 37
Lower
Mandovi 265 58 9 - - - - 332
Total
Mandovi 7938 1611 394 100 22 5 1 10071

The plots of logarithm of stream number versus stream order of all the

rivers are given in Fig. 3.6.

89
 Mhadei River watershed
4
3.5
3
2.5
log Nu
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Stream Order u

Khandepar River watershed

4
3.5
3
2.5
log Nu

2
1.5
1
0.5
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Stream Order u

Valvanti River watershed

4
3.5
3
2.5
log Nu

2
1.5
1
0.5
0
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Stream Order u

90
 Mapusa River watershed
3
2.5
2
logNu
1.5
1
0.5
0
-0.5 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Stream Order u

Sinquerim River watershed

1.6
1.4
1.2
1
log Nu

0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5

Stream Order u

Mandovi River Basin

5
4
log Nu

3
2
1
0
0 2 4 6 8

Stream Order u

Figure 3.6 Regression of logarithm of number of stream segments

(Nu) versus stream order (u) for all the watersheds of Mandovi River
basin

91
It is observed that the stream numbers of all the watersheds of

Mandovi River basin and the entire basin itself follows Horton’s law of

Stream number. However, the higher order streams of Mhadei River

watershed show some deviation from the straight line.

8. Stream Length (Lu): The total length of the streams in each order

is referred as stream length of that order (Horton, 1945). Stream

length of an order divided by its stream number gives the mean stream

length of that order. The stream length follows Horton’s law of stream

length which states that the mean length of streams of each different

order in a given drainage basin tends closely to approximate a direct

geometric series in which the first term is the mean length of the

streams of the first order. The stream lengths and mean stream lengths

of each order of all the watersheds are given in Table 3.3.

92
Table 3.3 Watershed-wise Stream lengths and Mean stream lengths of
all the watersheds of Mandovi River basin.
Watershed Stream Stream Length (Lu) Mean Stream
Order(u) (km) Length (km)
I 1471.00 0.37
II 478.75 0.69
III 228.75 1.33
Mhadei IV 134.75 2.86
Watershed V 70.50 8.81
VI 29.50 14.75
VII 33.00 33.00
∑Lu = 2446.25
I 801.25 0.34
II 280.00 0.54
Khandepar III 155.75 1.14
Watershed IV 73.25 2.44
V 42.75 6.10
VI 45.00 45.00
∑Lu = 1398.00
I 267.25 0.26
II 151.50 0.60
Valvanti III 73.50 1.44
Watershed IV 29.50 1.97
V 38.10 9.52
VI 16.50 16.50
∑Lu = 576.35
I 177.50 0.48
II 108.00 1.21
Mapusa III 40.25 1.55
Watershed IV 16.00 2.00
V 20.50 6.83
VI 16.00 16.00
∑Lu = 378.25
I 5.25 0.17
Sinquerim II 5.25 0.87
Watershed III 9.50 9.50
∑Lu = 20.00
I 2796.63 0.35
II 1072.25 0.67
Entire III 517.75 1.29
Mandovi IV 253.50 2.56
Watershed V 171.85 7.83
VI 107.00 21.06
VII 72.00 72.00
ΣLu=4990.98

93
The plots of log of mean stream length versus stream order are given in
Figures 3.7.

Mhadei River watershed

2
1.5
log mean Lu

1
0.5
0
-0.5
-1
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Stream Order

Khandepar River watershed

2

1.5
log mean Lu

0.5

-0.5

-1
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Stream Order

Valvanti River watershed

1.5

1
log mean Lu

0.5

-0.5

-1
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Stream Order

94
 Mapusa River watershed
1.6

1.2
log mean Lu
0.8

0.4

-0.4

-0.8
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Stream Order

Sinquerim River watershed

1.5
1
log mean Lu

0.5
0
-0.5
-1
0 1 2 3 4

Stream Order

Mandovi River watershed

2

1.5
log mean Lu

0.5

-0.5

-1
0 2 4 6 8
Stream Order

Figure 3.7 Regression of logarithm of mean stream length versus

stream order for all the watersheds of Mandovi River basin.

95
It is observed that the stream lengths of all the watersheds of Mandovi

River basin and the entire basin itself follow Horton’s law of Stream

length. However, the higher order streams, particularly IV th and Vth

order streams show some deviation from the straight line which

according to Horton’s law is due to structural control of higher order

streams.

9. Drainage Pattern: The adaptation of streams to initial slopes,

inequalities in rock hardness and structural features results in the

drainage network and different patterns are formed by their spatial

relationships to one another. Since drainage patterns are influenced by

so many factors, they are extremely helpful in the interpretation of

geomorphic features and give the sum total of factors which affect the

number, size and frequency of streams in a particular area.

In general, the Mandovi River basin exhibits dendritic to sub-dendritic

drainage pattern (Fig 3.3, 3.4 & 3.5). However, most of the streams of

fourth and fifth order in the central part of the basin (the Midland region

of Goa) show a common NW-SE to NNW-SSE trend, suggesting a

structural control, as the rocks in the region have a regional Dharwarian

NW-SE trend. This results in a trellis type drainage pattern (smaller

order streams meeting at right angle to the main stream) in some parts

of the basin. Also, the first and second order streams flowing on the

Karnataka plateau show parallel drainage pattern in the north-eastern

corner of the basin as they flow on the horizontally laid Deccan traps.

96
The Mandovi River flows due west or south-west on account of the

general westward slope of the Western Ghats escarpment and the

Midlands. However, the initial course of the Mhadei River on the

Karnataka plateau, including the Bandura nala, is due north-east which

is same as that of the Haltar nala which is a tributary of Malaprabha

river that flows due east on account of the eastward tilt of the

Karnataka plateau, suggesting that these streams of the drainage basin

have been captured by head-on erosion by the fast eroding Mhadei

River.

Generally in the Mandovi River basin, the streams of the 4th and other

lower orders are seasonal, whereas the 5th and above order flow

throughout the year.

97
3.3.2 Derived Parameters

1. Bifurcation Ratio (Rb): The ratio of number of streams of any

given order (Nu) to the number of streams in the next higher order

(Nu+1) is called bifurcation ratio (Horton, 1932).

Rb= Nu/Nu+1

It generally ranges between 3 and 5 for natural drainage basins without

differential geological controls and only reaches higher values where

geological controls favour the development of elongated narrow basins

(Strahler, 1964). Elongated basin with high bifurcation ratio yields a low

but extended peak flow while a circular basin with low bifurcation ratio

produces a sharp peak flow. The bifurcation ratios of each order of all

the watersheds are tabulated in Table 3. 4.

The average bifurcation ratio of the Mhadei River watershed is 4.19.

The bifurcation ratio between 4th and 5th order streams is distinctly high

(5.87) indicating a strong control of the structure of the underlying

rocks on the development of these higher order streams. Similarly, the

ratio between 1st and 2nd order streams is also relatively high (5.64).

The average bifurcation ratio of the Khandepar River watershed is 4.82

which is highest compared to all the other watersheds of the Mandovi

River basin. Moreover, the ratio between the 5th and the 6th order is

very high (7) suggesting a strong control of the rock structure on the

development of the drainage of this watershed.

98
Table 3.4 Watershed-wise bifurcation ratios of all the watersheds of
Mandovi River basin.

Watershed Stream Stream Number Bifurcation Ratio

Order (u) (Nu) (Rb)
I 3908 5.64
II 692 4.04
III 171 3.63
Mhadei IV 47 5.87
Watershed V 8 4
VI 2 2
VII 1 -
∑Nu = 4829 Av. Rb= 4.19
I 2336 4.54
II 514 3.77
Khandepar III 136 4.53
Watershed IV 30 4.28
V 7 7
VI 1 -
∑Nu = 3024 Av. Rb= 4.82
I 1032 4.09
II 252 4.94
Valvanti III 51 3.40
Watershed IV 15 3.75
V 4 4
VI 1 -
∑Nu = 1355 Av. Rb= 4.04
I 367 4.12
II 89 3.42
Mapusa III 26 3.35
Watershed IV 8 2.66
V 3 3
VI 1 -
∑Nu = 494 Av. Rb= 3.31
I 30 5
Sinquerim II 6 6
Watershed III 1 -
∑Nu = 37 Av. Rb= 5.5
I 7938 4.93
II 1611 4.08
Entire III 394 3.94
Mandovi IV 100 4.73
Watershed V 22 4.4
VI 5 5
VII 1 -
ΣNu=10071 Av. Rb=4.51

99
The average bifurcation ratio of the Valvanti River is low (4.04). The

bifurcation ratios of all the streams of Mapusa River are very low

(average 3.31) indicating no structural control on the development of

the drainage of these two watersheds. The streams of Sinquerim River

shows high bifurcation ratio.

The average bifurcation ratio of the entire Mandovi River Basin is 4.51.

However, the bifurcation ratio is relatively high for higher order streams

indicating a structural control on the development of these higher order

streams.

2. Channel Sinuosity (S): Sinuosity is a quantitative index of stream

meandering and a distinctive property of channel pattern. It is related

to the morphological, sedimentological and hydraulic characteristics of

stream channels. It can be calculated by dividing stream length by

valley length (length of the basin) (Brice, 1984).

S=SL/Lb

The significance of channel sinuosity is that if S=1 indicate straight

course of the stream, S=1-1.5 indicate sinuous course and S>1.5

indicate meandering course (Leopold et al, 1964).

The channel sinuosity values of both the major tributaries namely, the

Mhadei and the Khandepar River, as well as for the entire Mandovi

River are marginally more than 1.5 (Table 3.5) indicating that the river

courses have started meandering. However, the value for the Valvanti

100
River is relatively low (1.28) indicating a sinuous course and a younger

topography.

3. Elongation Ratio (Re): It is defined as the ratio between the

diameter of a circle of the same area as the drainage basin to the

maximum length of the basin (Lb) (Schumm, 1956). The elongation

ratio ranges between 0.6-1.00 over a wide variety of climatic conditions

and geologic formations. The elongation ratio is equal to 1 for a circular

basin and approaches 0 for a straight line. Values in the range of 0.6-

0.8 are generally associated with strong relief and steep grounds. The

values around 1.00 are typical of regions of very low relief. Elongated

basins with high bifurcation ratio yield a low but extended peak flow

while circular basins with low bifurcation ratio produce a sharp peak

flow.

The elongation ratio is calculated as:

Re= (2√A/Π) / Lb

The elongation ratio for most of the watersheds as well as for the entire

Mandovi river basin ranges between 0.61 to 0.8 (Table 3.5) indicating

that they are moderately elongated. However, the elongation ratio for

the Khandepar watershed is low (0.61) suggesting that the watershed

is more elongated than other watersheds. The Valvanti and Sinquerim

River watersheds have higher elongation ratio (0.76 and 0.8)

suggesting that they are more circular than the other watersheds.

101
4. Circularity Ratio (Rc): Circulatory ratio is the ratio of the basin

area (A) to the area of the circle of basin perimeter (P) (Miller, 1953). It

is the measure of the degree of circularity of the given basin. High

value of circularity ratio indicates old stage topography. Rc approaching

1 indicates circular shape of the basin and old stage topography.

Circularity and elongation ratios may be of practical use in predicting

certain hydrological characteristics of a drainage basin. The circularity

ratio has been found out by using the following formula:

Rc = 4A/P2

The circularity ratio of most of the watersheds is between 0.29 and 0.41

(Table 3.5) indicating mature stage topography. However, the

Sinquerim watershed has high ratio (0.76) indicating old stage

topography.

5. Form Factor (Rf): Form factor is the ratio of the basin area (A) to

the square of the maximum length of the basin (Lb) (Horton, 1945).

Form factor varies from 0 to 1. Low form factor indicates elongated

basin. Basins with low form factor have flatter peak flow for longer

duration while the basins with high form factor have higher peak flows

for a shorter duration.

Rf =A/Lb2

The form factor for all the watersheds is less than 0.5 (Table 3.5)

indicating elongated nature of all the basins. The form factor of

102
Khandepar basin is the least i.e., 0.3 emphasising its highly elongated

shape while the form factor of the Valvanti and Sinquerim basin is

comparatively higher emphasizing their more circular shape.

6. Compactness Constant (Cc): Compactness constant can be

calculated by using the formula:

Cc=0.2821 P/A0.5

Compactness constant is unity for a perfect circle and increases as the

basin length increases. Thus, it is a direct indicator of the elongated

nature of the basin. The compactness constant for the Mandovi basin is

1.78 (Table 3.5) indicating its elongated shape.

Table 3.5 Watershed-wise derived morphometric parameters of the

Mandovi River basin

Watershed Channel Elongation Circularity Form Compactness

Sinuosity Ratio (Re) Ratio (Rc) Factor Constant (Cc)
(Rf)
Mhadei 1.63 0.71 0.38 0.4 1.6
Khandepar 1.82 0.61 0.29 0.3 1.84
Valvanti 1.28 0.76 0.41 0.46 1.56
Mapusa 1.40 0.7 0.39 0.38 1.58
Sinquerim 2.16 0.8 0.76 0.51 1.14
Mandovi 1.58 0.68 0.31 0.37 1.78

103
3.3.2.1 Relationship of shape of the basin to peak discharge of
stream:

The shape of the basin plays an important role in governing the

discharge hydrograph of a stream. In general, elongated basin produces

low but extended peak flow while circular basin yields a sharp peak

flow. Typical discharge hydrographs of two basins with different shapes

are shown in Figure 3.8. These patterns of hydrograph result because

the elongated basin has a much broader variation in the lengths of flow

path lines and hence a wide range of travel times. Whereas, a circular

basin has flow path lines of more or less equal lengths resulting in high

run-off accumulation at the basin outlet at the same time. However,

other parameters such as bifurcation ratio, basin relief and drainage

texture also play an important role in the pattern of discharge

hydrograph.

Figure 3.8 Relationships between Basin Shape and Stream Discharge

104
7. Drainage Density (Dd): Drainage density is the average length of

streams per unit area within the basin (Horton, 1945). Drainage density

may be thought of as an expression of the closeness of the spacing of

channels.

Low drainage density is favoured in regions of highly resistant or highly

permeable subsoil materials, under dense vegetative cover and low

relief. High drainage density is favoured in regions of weak or

impermeable subsurface materials, scarce vegetation, and mountainous

relief. It is a valuable indicator of the relation between climate,

vegetation, and the resistance of the rock and soil to erosion. Under

similar climatic conditions impervious rocks support a higher drainage

density compared with permeable rock. Drainage density is a useful

numerical measure of land dissection and run-off potential.

Dd = Lu/A

Krishnamurthy et al (1996) classified drainage density as very coarse

for Dd<2, coarse for Dd= 2 to 4, moderate for Dd= 4 to 6, fine for Dd=6-

8 and very fine for Dd>8 (Jaiswal et al, 2007). The average drainage

density of the Mandovi River watershed is 2.48 km/ km2 (Table 3.5)

which is, thus, classified as coarse. The drainage densities of Mhadei,

Khandepar and Valvanti River watersheds are also classified as coarse.

However, the drainage densities of Mapusa and Sinquerim River

watersheds are classified as very coarse. Coarse drainage density gives

more retention time for overland flow and hence better ground water

105
recharge. Low drainage density in the present basin also indicates that

the surface material in the drainage basin is fairly permeable and has a

dense vegetative cover.

8. Stream Frequency (F): Horton (1945) defined stream frequency as

the number of stream segments of all orders per unit area of the basin.

High stream frequency is favoured in regions of impermeable subsoil

and steep gradients. Higher the stream frequency, faster is the surface

run-off and therefore less time for infiltration.

F=Nu/A

The average stream frequency of the study area is 4.99 per km2 (Table

3.6). The stream frequency of the Mhadei, Khandepar and Valvanti

watershed is more than 4.8 per km2. However, the stream frequency of

Mapusa and Sinquerim watershed is very low (2.6 and 1.98 per km2

respectively). This may be attributed to the low relief and high

permeability of the coastal plain in which these watersheds are

situated. A plot of drainage density versus stream frequency (Fig. 3.9)

of the watersheds of Mandovi basin reveals that there is a positive

correlation between the two parameters.

106
 8
7
6

Stream Frequency 5
4
3
2
1
0
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5
Drainage Density

Figure 3.9 Relationship between drainage density and stream

frequency.

9. Drainage Texture (T): Drainage texture is the relative channel

spacing in a fluvial dissected terrain and is computed as the product of

drainage density and stream frequency (Sreedevi et al, 2009; Singh

and Awasthi, 2011). It depends upon a number of natural factors such

as climate, rainfall, vegetation, rock/soil type, rate of infiltration, relief

and stage of development of the basin.

T= Dd x F

The drainage texture of the watersheds of Mandovi River basin varies

from 2.12 to 21.88 with a value of 12.37 for the entire basin (Table

3.6). Thus, the texture of Sinquerim and Mapusa watersheds may be

classified as relatively coarse, that of Mhadei and Valvanti watersheds

as medium while the Khandepar River watershed has relatively fine

drainage texture.

107
10. Constant of Channel Maintenance (Cm): Schumm (1956) used

the inverse of drainage density as a property termed the constant of

channel maintenance which is defined as the area of the basin surface

needed to sustain a unit length of stream channel.

Cm=1/Dd

It is a function of the ground permeability. The constant of channel

maintenance value for the entire Mandovi River basin is 0.4 (Table 3.6)

meaning 0.40 km2 of surface area is required to maintain each

kilometre of channel length. However, the value for the Sinquerim

watershed is very high (0.92) indicating higher permeability of the

surface material.

11. Length of Overland Flow (LO): Length of overland flow is the

length of flow of the rain water over the ground surface before it gets

concentrated in definite stream channels (Horton, 1945). It is measured

as the length of non-channel flow path from a point on the water divide

to a point on the adjacent stream channel and is computed as one half

of the reciprocal of drainage density.

Lo= 1/2Dd

It is an important measure of erodibility affecting hydrologic response

and physiographic development of watershed (Horton, 1945). Smaller

the value of length of overland flow, quicker is the surface runoff and

lesser erosion and vice-versa.

108
Table 3.6 Watershed-wise derived morphometric parameters of
Mandovi River basin

Watershed Drainage Stream Drainage Constant of Length of

density Frequency Texture (Cm) channel overland
(Dd) (F) (T) maintenance flow (Lo)
(km/km2) (km-1) (km2/km) (km/km2)
Mhadei 2.72 5.37 14.6 0.36 0.18
Khandepar 3.18 6.88 21.88 0.31 0.15
Valvanti 2.08 4.89 10.17 0.48 0.24
Mapusa 1.99 2.6 5.17 0.50 0.25
Sinquerim 1.07 1.98 2.12 0.93 0.46
Mandovi 2.48 4.99 12.37 0.40 0.20

12. Relief Ratio (Rh): Schumm (1956) defined relief ratio as the total

relief (H) of watershed divided by maximum length of the watershed

(Lb). It is an indicator of the potential energy available to move water

and sediments down the slope. High value of relief ratio indicates quick

runoff of water resulting in large peaked and steep limbed runoff

hydrograph.

Rh=H/Lb

The relief ratio of the entire Mandovi River basin is 0.013 (Table 3.7)

which indicates that the basin has relatively moderate relief. The

Mapusa River watershed has the lowest ratio (0.009) indicating low

relief and old stage topography. The Valvanti River watershed has the

highest relief ratio (0.029) indicating steep slopes which should yield

high peak flow in short time.

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13. Ruggedness Number (RN): It is defined as the product of the

total relief (H) and drainage density (D d). It gives an idea of overall

roughness of a watershed.

RN = H*Dd
The ruggedness numbers of the Mhadei and Khandepar River watershed

are higher compared to that of other watersheds (Table 3.7). This may

be attributed to their origin on the Western Ghats where the erosion

process is still very active. However, the ruggedness numbers of the

Mapusa and Sinquerim watershed are very low as the process of

pediplaination is in advance stage.

14. Relative Relief (Rr): It is the ratio of the total relief (H) to the

perimeter (P) of the watershed. Low relief ratio is indicative of gentle

topography while high relief ratio is characteristic of steep slopes.

Rr =H/P
The relative relief of the Mandovi River basin is 0.0036 (Table 3.7). The

relative relief of the Mapusa watershed is the minimum (0.0027) while

the relative relief of the Valvanti watershed is the maximum (0.0079).

15. Time of Concentration (Tc): The time required to move the

surface runoff from remotest point of the basin to its outlet is known as

time of concentration. It is estimated based on the Kirpich (1940)

equation:

Tc =0.0195L0.77S-0.385
Where 'L' is the maximum length of travel of water along the water

course in meters and 'S' is the slope expressed as the ratio of the

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difference in elevation between the remotest point and catchment

outlet through the length L. High value of time of concentration will

produce low run-off rate. The time of concentration for the main stream

channel of the Mandovi River is 15.92 hours (Table 3.7).

16. Standard Time of Concentration (STc): A new factor ‘standard

time of concentration’ has been derived by dividing the time of

concentration by the main stream length. Thus, it is the time required

to move the surface run-off per unit length of the main stream. It

reflects the run-off potential of the watershed. It is observed that the

standard time of concentration for Mhadei, Khandepar and Valvanti

River watersheds are low compared to that of Mapusa and Sinquerim

river watersheds implying that the run-off rate in these hilly watersheds

is relatively high.

Table 3.7 Watershed-wise derived morphometric parameters of

Mandovi River basin

Watershed Relief Ruggedness Relative Time of Standard time

Ratio Number Relief conc. of conc. (STc)
(Rh) (RN) (Rr) (Tc) (hr) (hr/km)
Mhadei 0.021 2.79 0.0060 9.919 0.129
Khandepar 0.022 2.68 0.0062 9.417 0.136
Valvanti 0.029 1.50 0.0079 4.038 0.128
Mapusa 0.009 0.41 0.0027 6.387 0.206
Sinquerim 0.013 0.08 0.0045 3.411 0.206
Mandovi 0.013 2.54 0.0036 15.923 0.137

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3.4 Discussion

Mandovi River Basin: The Mandovi River is an interstate river, the

watershed of which lies primarily in the territory of Goa State and

remaining lies in Karnataka and Maharashtra. The Mandovi River is of

seventh order and attains this order in the Mhadei watershed itself. The

other major tributaries namely, the Khandepar, the Valvanti and the

Mapusa River are of sixth order. However, the Sinquerim River is of

third order. The streams of the Mhadei and the Khandepar River which

are dominantly located in the Midland region of Goa show a high

bifurcation ratio indicating that they are controlled by the trend of the

underlying rock types. Thus, they can be classified as subsequent

streams and the topography is in the mature stage of development.

However, the bifurcation ratio of the Mapusa River is very low indicating

that the rock structure has no control on the development of this

watershed and the topography has reached old stage.

The Mandovi River basin in general exhibits dendritic to sub-dendritic

drainage pattern. However, most of the higher order streams show a

common NW-SE to NNW-SSE trend resulting in trellis drainage pattern.

Thus, it is evident that the regional trend of the Goa Group of rocks

(NW-SE) has a strong control on drainage development.

The shape and size of the basin affect the total volume of rainwater

received, the total runoff produced and thus the stream discharge. The

morphometric parameters of the Mandovi basin favor a flat but

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extended peak flow as seen from its shape and relief parameters. Thus,

it is estimated that flood should be a rare phenomenon along this river.

The high bifurcation ratio along with low elongation ratio of the

Khandepar watershed is suggestive of low but extended peak flow. The

high elongation ratio coupled with high form factor and low bifurcation

ratio for the Valvanti watershed suggests that the catchment is circular.

Also, its high relief ratio and high relative relief suggests that the relief

is strong with steep slopes. The circular shape and steep slopes favour

sharp peak flow for short duration. This explains the frequent

occurrence of floods during heavy rainfall in the Valvanti watershed.

The low bifurcation ratio, low relief ratio, low relative relief and low

ruggedness number for the Mapusa River is indicative of old stage

topography that results in low peak flow. Though the elongation ratio

and the circularity ratio of the Sinquerim watershed are high the

catchment will not have high peak flow because its constant of channel

maintenance suggests that its ground permeability is very high and also

its relief ratio is very low.

The drainage density (2.48) and the stream frequency (4.99) of the

entire Mandovi basin are low exhibiting coarse texture. The low

drainage density in the basin could be due to the predominance of

overland flow due to thick forest coverage clubbed with covering of soil

surface by vegetal matter which inhibits formation of lower order

streams. The stream frequency of the Mapusa and the Sinquerim River

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is very low which suggests high permeability of the coastal plain. Low

stream frequency coupled with low drainage density favour better

ground water recharge.

Mhadei River Watershed: The Mhadei River watershed has an area of

899 km2 with aerial length of 47 km and a maximum basin width of 36

km. The Mhadei River originates in Degao village of Khanapur taluka of

Belgaum District at an elevation of about 900 m amsl. The highest

elevation in the watershed is 1026m at Darsinga peak on the watershed

boundary in the Western Ghats. The river has a maximum length of 77

km of which the first 34 km flows in Karnataka while the later 43 km

flows in Goa. The long profile of the river is concave upwards with one

prominent nick point in the Western Ghats (Fig 3.10). The river channel

has three prominent reaches with different gradients. The upper reach

is on the Karnataka plateau with a gentle gradient, the middle reach is

in the Western Ghats region with relatively steep gradient while the

lower reach is in the Midland region of Goa having a gentle gradient.

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Figure 3.10 Long profile of River Mhadei showing three prominent reaches with different gradients.

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The Mhadei River is of VIIth order with one major VIth order tributary,

namely the Surla Nadi and two major Vth order tributaries, namely the

Kotrachi Nadi and Ragada Nadi. Two minor tributaries of Vth order

namely, the Advai Nala and Kumtol Nala also join the Mhadei River.

The stream numbers and stream lengths of the Mhadei River watershed

follow the Horton’s Laws of Stream Number and Stream Length.

However, the highest order stream deviates from a linear relationship,

which according to Horton’s law is due to structural control of higher

order streams which corroborates with the field observations.

In general, the drainage pattern in the Mhadei River watershed is

dendritic to sub-dendritic indicating uniform resistance to erosion.

However, the higher order streams are aligned parallel to each other

(mostly in NW-SE to NNW-SSE direction) resulting in trellis drainage

pattern along their courses. This indicates that the higher order streams

flow through the strike valleys formed by the selective erosion of NW-

SE trending Dharwarian rocks in the watershed. Further, some lower

order streams are also distinctly aligned in NE-SW direction. An overlap

of the lineament map of the area (Fig.3.11) indicates that these

streams are controlled by the NE-SW trending lineaments. These

observations are also supported by the high bifurcation ratio (5.87)

between the IVth order and Vth order streams of the watershed. The

main channel of the Mhadei River is highly sinuous in nature. However,

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it maintains an overall linearity in NE-SW direction indicating that it is

also controlled by the lineaments.

The shape parameters of Mhadei River watershed indicate that the

watershed is moderately elongated. The textural parameters indicate

that the drainage texture is medium and the ground is moderately

permeable. The relief parameters indicate that the relief is moderate

with highly rugged topography.

The shape, size, textural and relief parameters of Mhadei River

watershed indicate that the watershed has a mature topography and

favour a flat but extended peak flow. Therefore, it is estimated that

flood should be a rare phenomenon along the Mhadei River. Medium

drainage texture coupled with moderate relief favour moderate

groundwater recharge in the watershed.

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Figure 3.11 Lineament map of Mhadei River watershed

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Based on this chapter, following paper has been communicated to

Hydrology Journal, IAH, Roorkee:

Ibrampurkar M.M. and Chachadi A.G., (2010) Quantitative Morphometric Analysis of Mandovi

River Basin in Goa & Karnataka - Western Ghats.

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