Drainage Basin Analysis of the Sarayan River, Ganga Plain, India

Abstract

The Sarayan River is a groundwater fed meandering river, originating near Gola Gokaran Nath Town in Lakhimpur Kheri District of Uttar Pradesh in the Ganga Plain. It flows around 170 km before joining the Gomti River at Kaintain hamlet, Sidhauli Tehsil, Sitapur District, Uttar Pradesh. The morphometric analysis of the Sarayan River Basin is explained in the present paper by using Geographical Information System (GIS) technique and Survey of India topographical sheets to integrate basic, shape and derived characteristics. It shows a dendritic drainage pattern, with a surface area of about 2535 km2. The basic parameters identified are, perimeter 383 km, length 112 km and slope 0.80 m/km. The derived parameters such as the relief–ratio (Rr) 0.30 m/km, bifurcation ratio (Rb) 8.82 and RHO coefficient 0.02, describe a gently undulating topography, influencing sediment transport and the formation of extensive alluvial plain. The form factor (Ff) 0.20, circularity index (Rc) 0.22, and elongation ratio (Re) 0.51 indicate the elongated shape of the basin. The Sarayan River Basin is a fourth order river basin with mature topography and dendritic behaviour of the drainage network.