Riverine landscape dynamics and integrity of upper ganga river stretch a ramsar site

Abstract

Rivers are a major source of freshwater for sustaining human civilizations. River ecosystems provide innumerable ecosystem services that must be protected in a sustainable manner. However, health of rivers in India and globally is deteriorating at an alarming rate. River Ganga is among one of the most vulnerable and exploited rivers in India and the world. Hydrogeomorphic processes in a river system, such as erosion, deposition, flooding and sediment load alteration, construct, manage and deteriorate the riverine landscape. Besides, hydrogeomorphic studies provide guidance for the amelioration, conservation and management post commissioning of large-scale river projects such as construction of reservoirs, barrages and even irrigation canals. The river health assessment tools along with monitoring of patterns and processes in a riverine landscape can enable stakeholders to make informed decisions and strategize for better amelioration/management plans. Hydrogeomorphic processes of a river system and their impact on the river health is seldom studied. In addition to being timeconsuming, conventional investigation and river health assessment requires substantial investment (both financial and human resources) in the collection of in-situ data, which hinders their integration into river health assessment models. This study explores the usage of remotely sensed data to assess the hydrogeomorphic processes in a river system and to develop models for evaluating the river health in a data deficit environment. The practicality of this research is demonstrated for the Upper Ganga River, Ramsar site which is among the most diverse, ecologically diverse region at high-risk of further deterioration. Research embodied in the thesis also examines morphological changes in river channels, maps temporal changes in land use and land cover (LULC) within riverscapes, and thus comprehends landscape dynamics in the Upper Ganga River... newline