Carrying Capacity of Mountainous Watershed in Himalayan Region
Keywords:
Surface Runoff, Snowmelt Runoff, Sediment Yield, SWAT, SRM, RS and GIS, Mountainous WatershedAbstract
Hydrological processes are very important process and need to be considered during water resources planning and
management. Assessment of snowmelt runoff and sediment yield in Himalayan mountainous watershed is most important for
planning hydropower generation. The main aim of study is to identify suitable hydrological model suitable for mountainous
watershed. The study area comprises of Arwa Watershed situated in Alaknanda sub-basin in Uttarakhand, India. The
hydrological components of Arwa watershed are characterized by area covered by snow and are below the snowline. Analysis of
satellite data indicates that more than 60% of area is covered by snow and remaining area is below snowline. Swat model is
useful for estimation of runoff occurring due to precipitation and sediment yield due to upland erosion in mountainous region.
While SRM model is useful for snowmelt runoff evaluation. Integration of these two hydrological models will provide more
reliable results for evaluation of mountainous watershed.
