Spatial and Temporal Planform Study of River Godavari Between Polavaram and Dowleswaram Bridge

The changes in river morphology are a convenient approach to understand the changes in river dynamics. The dynamics of planform indices has been studied on the Godavari’s river stretch between Polavaram Project and Dowleshwaram Barrage for the years 1985–2022. The braiding index and planform index were analysed to understand the nuances of the changes in river morphology; to achieve this, the satellite images of ultimate resolution were used along with topographic maps. The changes in the bank lines were compared at different temporal scales, which quantify the meandering or sinuosity index. The results indicted a tremendous shift between 1985 and 2022; further, the braiding index highlighted the level of channel braiding allowing comparison between two timelines. Such analysis provided insights to better understanding the dynamicity of the river Godavari which is very often breaching banks and causing floods and eroding the banks. Such analysis will aid in river management and sustainable development and also help in achieving rational decisions from the stakeholders in managing the water resources.