Shifting Sands: Assessing Bankline Shift Using an Automated Approach in the Jia Bharali River, India

Jatan Debnath, Dhrubajyoti Sahariah, Anup Saikia, Gowhar Meraj, Nityaranjan Nath, Durlov Lahon, Wajahat Annayat, Pankaj Kumar (), Kesar Chand, Suraj Kumar Singh and Shruti Kanga
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Jatan Debnath: Department of Geography, Gauhati University, Guwahati 781014, India
Dhrubajyoti Sahariah: Department of Geography, Gauhati University, Guwahati 781014, India
Anup Saikia: Department of Geography, Gauhati University, Guwahati 781014, India
Gowhar Meraj: Department of Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing, Government of Jammu and Kashmir, Kashmir 182301, India
Nityaranjan Nath: Department of Geography, Gauhati University, Guwahati 781014, India
Durlov Lahon: Department of Geography, Gauhati University, Guwahati 781014, India
Wajahat Annayat: Institute of Technology, University of Kashmir, Srinagar 190006, India
Pankaj Kumar: Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Hayama 240-0115, Japan
Kesar Chand: Himachal Regional Centre (Himachal Pradesh), GB Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment (NIHE), Kullu 175126, India
Suraj Kumar Singh: Centre for Climate Change and Water Research, Suresh Gyan Vihar University, Jaipur 302017, India
Shruti Kanga: Department of Geography, School of Environment and Earth Sciences, Central University, Bathinda 151401, India

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 3, 1-26

Abstract: Bank erosion hazard is a frequent occurrence that poses threats to floodplain ecosystems. This analysis examined changes to the Jia Bharali River channel in India using the GIS-based Digital Shoreline Analysis System [DSAS]. The Jia Bharali’s future channel was predicted so as to identify the most erosion-susceptible zones. The rate of bankline movement was calculated using remotely sensed data collected over a period of 45 years (1976–2021). The results show that the river’s erosion and deposition rates were higher in the early years than towards the later part of the period under analysis. On the right and left banks of the river, the average shift rate was −9.22 and 5.8 m/y, respectively, which is comparatively high. The chosen portion of the river was evenly divided into three zones, A, B, and C. The most positively affected zone was zone A. The left bank of zone B exhibited a higher rate of erosion than the right bank, indicating that the river was moving to the left [eastward] in this zone. At the same time, the right bank was being eroded faster than the left, indicating a westward thrust at zone C. The predicted result demonstrates that the left bank of zone B and the right bank of zone C would have a higher average migration rate. Therefore, these banks were identified as being the most susceptible to bank erosion. The study evaluates the spatio-temporal change of the river in sensitive regions where neighboring settlements and infrastructure were at risk of changing channel dynamics. Using the actual and forecasted bankline, the degree of accuracy was confirmed. The results of the automated prediction approach could be useful for river hazard management in the Jia Bharali and in similar environmental settings with tropical high precipitation zones.

Keywords: Jia Bharali; Brahmaputra floodplain; erosion-deposition; bankline prediction; DSAS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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