A Novel Method to Translate a Physical Watershed into Matrix Form for Run-off Estimation

Abstract

This article presents innovative notions of translating a micro-watershed into a unique matrix using a graphical represenation of a tree graph in graph theory assigning the order of the streams to the array of each node. It addresses new concepts of basic constituent, base and characteristic matrices of a micro-watershed. The main objective behind translating a watershed into a matrix is to develop a sediment transport model concerning different attributes of drainage system and topographical area of each micro-watershed in a river basin to predict water flow and quantify sedimentation to the reservoir through simulation. These innovations promise to advance our understanding of watershed dynamics and provide us a future scope to develop a sediment prediction which is crucial for water resource management and environmental planning. This study focuses on estimating the water flow from the contributing watersheds of the Barakar River Basin. A mathematical modeling and computer simulation of run-off from contributory topographical areas has been carried out to simulate water flow incorporating the stream order, contributory area, run-off and rainfall as matrices using the graph theory based algorithm. Key input parameters such as land use, land cover changes, soil properties, and topographical features are derived from the satellite images processed from Remote sensing techniques to incorporate their influence on water flow dynamics. The findings provide valuable insights into the hydrological behaviour of the watersheds that leads to forecast and control the flood and also aids to devise sustainable water resource management strategies in Barakar River Basin as well as water conservation and management in Maithan reservoir.