Watershed Prioritization for Flood Risk Management in the Pranhitha River Basin Using Morphometric Analysis and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) Approach

Identifying critical sub-watersheds isWatershed inevitable in sustaining the services provided by watersheds to mankind. The morphometric analysis is one such tool for analyzing and identifying the critical sub-watersheds inevitable for sustainable watershed management. The conventional approaches to morphologic parameterParameters determination are labor-intensive, expensive, and time-consuming. However, with the development of Geographic Information SystemsGeographic Information System (GIS) (GIS) and remote sensing technology, the procedure has become simpler, more affordable, and quicker. To evaluate the morphometric characteristics of the Pranhitha river basin and its nine sub-basins, which are prone to flooding, a combined method combining remotely sensed Digital Elevation ModelModels (DEM) and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDMMCDM) has been utilized in the current work. Using morphometric characteristics, Pranhitha's sub-watersheds have been prioritized and graded according to how susceptible they are to flooding. The overland flow length, shape factor, and elongation ratio showed that the Pranhitha watershed has less flooding risk because of well-dissected sub-basins. On the other hand, the ratio of relief, density of drainage, frequency of streams, ruggedness number, and circularity ratio may result in high surface runoff and floodsFlood. Sub-watershed 9 is found to be critically dominated by sheet erosion in contrast with channel erosion, which implies greater attention to sustainable watershed management practices concerning water conservation and soil erosion. These results can help the stakeholders to streamline their watershed management practices.