ENVIRONMENT IMPACT OF SHIFT IN RIVER COURSE IN GIS ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

In the present work migrational behaviour of river is studied. River migration includes any change of pattern, cross-section or network in a drainage basin. Changes of river channels are significant in relation to flooding, rural and urban land use, as well as in relation to interpretation of past river development and estimation of future river behaviour. These changes in river always involve the reworking of floodplains, soils, sedimentation, erosion etc. which are of very broad concern. The conventional approach to collect information about the river characteristics has been ground based surveys which are both uneconomic and time consuming. To overcome these difficulties, the integrated approach of Geographical Information System and Remote Sensing is being developed as a unique, highly effective and extremely versatile technology for evaluation, management and monitoring of natural resources and environment. Remotely sensed data provides advantage of synoptic view and the possibility of studying the dynamic behaviour of rivers using sequential satellite data. As a case study Ratmau river is being studied. This river has been subjected to lateral migration and meandering from a long time and it is only recently that it has attracted attention mainly because it started posing threat to the bridge which was built on Delhi-Hardwar road which in now a national highway. It was therefore felt' necessary to assess the changes in river course with time. The focus in this work is mainly on amount of shift and the subsequent changes in land use pattern. iii