Studies on Twin Micro-Watersheds, Melekote and Rajagatta Dodballapur Taluk, Bangalore Rural District, Karnataka State through Morphometry, Land Formation and Water Quality

S. G. Ramachandraiah, M. Inayathulla, P. S. Nagaraj, G. Ranganna, R. Druvashree

Faculty in Civil Engineering, Dr. Ambedkar Institute of Technology, Bangalore, India.
Faculty in Civil Engineering, University Visvesvaraya College of Engineering, Bangalore, India.
UGC-CAS in Fluid Mechanics, Bangalore University, Bangalore, India.
University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, India.

DOI: 10.4236/jwarp.2012.412123                

Abstract

The paper discusses assessment of various chemical constituents present in groundwater besides morphology, and land form characteristics of twin micro-watersheds (viz., Melekote and Rajaghatta) Dodballapur Taluk, (Karnataka) coming under semi-arid climatic zone. Farmers who are mainly depending on agricultural yields for their living are disappointed due to vagaries of monsoons and undependable rainfall. This is particularly so in arid and semi-arid regions. These regions suffer from water scarcity, soil degradation, low crop yield, high soil erosion and gradual depletion of soil fertility. All these factors culminate in planning for conservation and storage of water in small watersheds for future needs, i.e., during drought conditions. In many areas, it is observed that the water table levels are declining resulting in problems of increased concentration of solutes and deterioration of groundwater quality. All aspects of hydrological studies are covered in relation to watershed management in order to formulate strategies for sustainable agricultural development. Morphometry, landform and topography play an important role in understanding the hydrological response of any watershed. Quantitative morphometric analysis has been carried out on the watershed along with landform and topographical study.

Keywords

Water Quality; Morphometry; Groundwater; Land Form

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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