RS-GIS Based Assessment of River Dynamics of Brahmaputra River in India

Archana Sarkar, R. D. Garg, Nayan Sharma

.
National Institute of Hydrology, Roorkee, India.

DOI: 10.4236/jwarp.2012.42008                

Abstract

The Brahmaputra River is one of the largest alluvial rivers in the world characterized by frequent bank erosion leading to channel pattern changes and shifting of bank line. This study is aimed at quantifying the actual bank erosion/deposi- tion along the Brahmaputra River within India for a period of eighteen years (1990-2008). The entire course of Brah- maputra River in Assam from upstream of Dibrugarh up to the town Dhubri near Bangladesh border for a stretch of around 620 kms has been studied using an integrated approach of Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Sys- tem (GIS). The channel configuration of the Brahmaputra River has been mapped for the years 1990 and 2008 using IRS 1A LISS-I, and IRS-P6 LISS-III satellite images respectively. The analysis of satellite data has provided not only the information on the channel configuration of the river system on repetitive basis but also has brought out several sig- nificant facts about the changes in river morphology, stable and unstable reaches of the river banks and changes in the main channel. The results provide latest and reliable information on the dynamic fluvio-geomorphology of the Brah- maputra River for designing and implementation of drainage development programmes and erosion control schemes in the north eastern region of the country.

Keywords

Remote Sensing; GIS, NDWI; Brahmaputra River; Bank Erosion/Deposition

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	N. Surian, “Channel Changes Due to River Regulation: The Case of the Piave River, Italy,” Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, Vol. 24, No. 12, 1999, pp. 1135- 1151. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1096-9837(199911)24:12<1135::AID-ESP40>3.0.CO;2-F
[2]	X. Yang, M. C. J. Damen and R. A. van Zuidam, “Satel- lite Remote Sensing and GIS for the Analysis of Channel Migration Changes in the Active Yellow River Delta, China,” International Journal of Applied Earth Observa- tion and Geoinformation, Vol. 1, No. 2, 1999, pp. 146- 157. doi:10.1016/S0303-2434(99)85007-7
[3]	M. Rinaldi, “Recent Channel Adjustments in Alluvial Rivers of Tuscany, Central Italy,” Earth Surface Processes and Landforms, Vol. 28, No. 6, 2003, pp. 587-608. doi:10.1002/esp.464
[4]	I. C. Fuller, A. R. G. Large and D. J. Milan, “Quantifying Channel Development and Sediment Transfer Following Chute-Off in a Wandering Gravel-Bed River,” Geomorphology, Vol. 54, No. 3-4, 2003, pp. 307-323. doi:10.1016/S0169-555X(02)00374-4
[5]	L. Q. Li, X. X. Lu and Z. Chen, “River Channel Change during the Last 50 Years in the Middle Yangtze River: An Example of the Jianli Reach,” Geomorphology, Vol. 85, No. 3-4, 2007, pp. 185-196. doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2006.03.035
[6]	M. Kummu, X. X. Lub, A. Rasphonec, J. Sarkkulad and J. Koponen, “Riverbank Changes along the Mekong River: Remote Sensing Detection in the Vientiane-Nong Khai Area,” Quaternary International, Vol. 186, No. 1, 2008, pp. 100-112. doi:10.1016/j.quaint.2007.10.015
[7]	NRSA, “Brahmaputra Flood Mapping and River Migration Studies-Airborne Scanner Survey,” National Remote Sensing Agency, Hyderabad, 1980.
[8]	M. Bardhan, “Channel Stability of Barak River and Its Tributaries between Manipur-Assam and Assam-Bang- ladesh Borders as Seen from Satellite Imagery,” Proceedings National Symposium on Remote Sensing Applications for resource Management with special emphasis on N.E. region, Guwahati, 25-27 November 1993, pp. 481-485.
[9]	SAC and Brahmaputra Board, “Report on Bank Erosion on Majuli Island, Assam: A Study Based on Multi Temporal Satellite Data,” Space Application Centre, Ahmedabad and Brahmaputra Board, Guwahati, 1996.
[10]	S. D. Naik, S. K. Chakravorty, T. Bora and I. Hussain, “Erosion at Kaziranga National Park, Assam, a Study Based on Multitemporal Satellite Data,” Project Report. Space Application Centre (ISRO) Ahmedabad and Brahmaputra Board, Guwahati, 1999, p. 70.
[11]	U. Goswami, J. N. Sarma and A. D. Patgiri, “River Channel Changes of Subansiri in Assam, India,” Geomorphology, Vol. 30, No. 3, 1999, pp. 227-244. doi:10.1016/S0169-555X(99)00032-X
[12]	P. Mani, R. Kumar and C. Chatterjee, “Erosion Study of a Part of Majuli River-Island Using Remote Sensing Data,” Journal of Indian Society of Remote Sensing, Vol. 31, No. 1, 2003, pp. 11-18. doi:10.1007/BF03030747
[13]	L. Bhakal, B. Dubey and A. K. Sarma, “Estimation of Bank Erosion in the River Brahmaputra near Agyathuri by Using Geographic Information System,” Journal of Indian Society of Remote Sensing, Vol. 33, No. 1, 2005, pp. 81-84. doi:10.1007/BF02989994
[14]	P. Kotoky, D. Bezbaruah, J. Baruah and J. N. Sarma, “Nature of Bank Erosion along the Brahmaputra River Channel, Assam, India,” Current Science, Vol. 88, No. 4, 2005, pp. 634-640.
[15]	J. N. Sarma, D. Borah and U. Goswami, “Change of River Channel and Bank Erosion of the Burhi Dihing River (Assam), Assessed Using Remote Sensing Data and GIS,” Journal of Indian Society of Remote Sensing, Vol. 35, No. 1, 2007, pp. 94-100. doi:10.1007/BF02991837
[16]	J. D. Das and A. K. Saraf, “Remote Sensing in the Mapping of the Brahmaputra/Jamuna River Channel Patterns and Its Relation to Various Landforms and Tectonic Environment,” International Journal of Remote Sensing, Vol. 28, No. 16, 2007, pp. 3619-3631. doi:10.1080/01431160601009664
[17]	B. C. Gao, “NDWI—A Normalized Difference Water Index for Remote Sensing of Vegetation Liquid Water from Space,” Remote Sensing of Environment, Vol. 58, No. 3, 1996, pp. 257-266. doi:10.1016/S0034-4257(96)00067-3
[18]	S. K. Jain, A. K. Saraf, A. Goswami and T. Ahmad, “Flood Inundation Mapping Using NOAA AVHRR Data,” Water Resources Management, Vol. 20, No. 6, 2006, pp. 949-959. doi:10.1007/s11269-006-9016-4
[19]	P. Ceccato, S. Flasse, S. Tarantola, S. Jacquemond and J. M. Gregoire, “Detecting Vegetation Water Content Using Reflectance in the Optical Domain,” Remote Sensing of Environment, Vol. 77, 2001, pp. 22-33. doi:10.1016/S0034-4257(01)00191-2
[20]	J. N. Sarma and M. K. Phukan, “Origin and Some Geomorphological Changes of Majuli Island of the Brahmaputra River in Assam, India,” Geomorphology, Vol. 60, No. 1-2, 2004, pp. 1-19. doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2003.07.013