INTRODUCTION

With a population of 1.2 billion people and the vagaries of monsoon, India needs to develop its water resources to meet the growing demand for food production and security.

SECON has developed a hybrid method of mapping using High Resolution Satellite Images(HRSI) with minimal ground survey. This will serve as a forerunner for development of future Water Resource projects in India.

Brief Note

Innovative Mapping and Design for Watershed Management, Irrigation, Flood Control and Rain Water Harvesting

Introduction

With population of 1.2 billion people and vagaries of monsoon, India needs to develop its water resources to meet the growing demand for food production and security. Use of technological advances in Geomatics for rapid generation of accurate Base Maps with Digital Terrain Model, to plan and design irrigation projects is imperative.

SECON developed its own unique system of providing a hybrid mapping method using High Resolution Satellite Images and ground control and validation, thereby saving substantial time and labour compared to traditional land survey methods. This will serve as a forerunner for development of further Water Resource projects.

The maps so generated was found useful for demarcating catchment area, locations of interventions, sizing of storages, planning, design of canal distribution network, structures and evaluation of Land Use/Land Classification.

Base Map for 16,000 sq.km was prepared within 18 months. Extensive PILOT test was carried out to confirm the accuracy and suitability of the method of Hybrid combination of Ground and 3D (HRSI). The results found were satisfactory as a cost and time effective solution. The accuracy derived from this method is a Benchmark even for the Satellite Image provider.

SECON’s hybrid method combining High Resolution 3D Stereo Satellite Imagery (HRSI), in planning and designing of 10 Watersheds of the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh India, for Base Maps on 1:2500, 4000, 10000 scale proved successful. Longitudinal and Cross Sections were also developed for optimizing Canal corridors and distribution network.

This method is more cost effective and faster compared to purely Aerial or Ground method in Developing countries, where the economics, logistics and security issues for Aerial Photography / LiDAR are the main constraints.

The project after completion will provide water for millions of people and irrigate an area of around 2200 sq km of fertile land. The base maps prepared by SECON will also be used for rehabilitation and resettlement of affected people in this project area.

Study Area

The Study area comprises of the 10 Watersheds (Sub basins) of Narmada River in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is the fifth largest river in the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the few rivers in India that flows from West to East. It flows through the states of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and in Gujarat. The Narmada Valley Development Authority (NVDA) is the Government Agency responsible for the management of the Narmada River and its River Basin. The total length of the river from the head to the outfall into the sea is 1312 km.

Objective

The study was carried out with the following objectives:

  • Mapping the area for an extent of 16000 Sq Km.
  • Contour map preparation to obtain the contours of 0.50 m intervals so as to plan the Medium and Minor projects (Micro Water Sheds) in the 10 Sub basins/Water Sheds.
  • Geo referencing
  • Establishing Ground Control Points.
  • Digitizing and Editing
  • DEM generation.
  • Ground Truth validation
  • Base Map preparation.
  • Screening of the projects.
  • Identifying and locating the projects ( Location of Dam sites)
  • Water Availability Studies, Water Balance, Basin Plan
  • Assess Submergence and Command Area for 1300 Sq Km of Cultivable Command Area.
  • Size of storage
  • Planning and Design of Canal Network and associated structures
  • Classification of Land use/ Land cover

Conclusion

Modern Technology using Stereo High Resolution Satellite Images was very helpful in this project. Remote Sensing and GIS prove to be very comprehensive in the study of large areas like Watershed, Flood plain studies and Rain Water Harvesting where integrated and simultaneous activities have to be executed.

Water preservation will remain incomplete if preventive measures are not undertaken. It is predicted that water scarcity is imminent in the future and this could also lead to conflicts and social unrest.

So, Remote Sensing and GIS techniques can be explored and implemented appropriately. Merging conventional methods with Modern techniques can be used for all Water Resource projects without compromising on desired quality.

This method is more cost effective and faster compared to purely Aerial or Ground method in Developing countries, where the economics, logistics and security issues for Aerial Photography / LiDAR are the main constraints.