An Integrated Approach to Propose the Watershed Health Card by Designing a Grade Card

Abstract

Hydrological Units in any scale Watershed, Sub-watershed, Micro-watershed etc, newlinehave significance in assessing the altered health conditions of natural resources and newlineinhabitants due to anthropogenic activities and climate change. This research work is newlinean integrated approach to propose the watershed health card by designing a grade newlinecard in concern to soil and water conservation in the hydrological units to the scale newlineof sub-watersheds. Assessment and monitoring are important steps that aid in newlinemonitoring and conserving the natural resources in Hydrological Units and for the newlinesustainable planning and execution of Sub-watershed development activities. newlineMustoor and Sidlaghatta sub-watersheds of Chikballapur district, Karnataka, India newlinewith similar hydrogeological conditions are delineated adopting Geographical newlineInformation System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) techniques and tools. The newlinehealth of these hydrological units of subwatershed scale are evaluated assessing newlinesignificant characteristics such as geomorphometric to understand geology and newlinephysiographic characteristics, climate characteristics rainfall seasonality index newline(RSI), soils, land use land cover forest cover change through Land Use Land Cover newline(LULC) change, watershed hydrology groundwater quality adopting Water Quality newlineIndex (WQI) and socioeconomic status (SES) of families residing in the newlinesubwatersheds was evaluated further considering standards and guidelines, newlinerespective grades are assigned, which aids in developing a grade card. newlineThe assessment projects the need for prioritizing the subwatersheds treatment in newlineconserving the natural resources with concerns towards soil and water resources in newlinethe sustainable development of the subwatershed ecosystem. newlineKeywords: Watershed Health Card, Grade Card, Geomorphometry, Forest Cover