Hypsometric analysis of Shakkar river catchment through geographical information system

Hypsometric analysis of watershed (area-elevation analysis) has generally been used to reveal the stages of geomorphic development (stabilized, mature and young). The geologic stages of development and proneness of the watersheds for erosion are quantified by hypsometric integral. The estimation of hypsometric integral is carried out from the graphical plot of the measured contour elevation and encompassed area by using empirical formulae. In this study, efforts were made to estimate the hypsometric integral values of Shakkar river watershed which is a tributary of Narmada river located in Madhya Pradesh. The watershed was delineated into eight sub-watersheds and hypsometric analysis was carried out for all of them using digital contour maps, which was generated using Arc/Info GIS. The hypsometric integral values for all the sub-watersheds of Shakkar river ranges between 0.47 and 0.51. In the study area, only mature stage of erosion cycle is identified.