Channel planform dynamics of lower Ramganga River, Ganga basin, GIS and remote sensing analyses

Ramganga River is characterized by frequent planform changes in its lower reaches. The plain topography and frequent floods occurrence are powerful agents to change the river morphology. This paper presents a detailed account of channel planform dynamics of River from 1780 to 2017. Spatial data were analyzed in GIS to determine changes in sinuosity, centerline migration rates and large-scale dynamics of the River. The results revealed its overall shifting towards south-west direction. In upstream, planform repeatedly oscillated in its floodplain. In the downstream, a highly stable reach is found which does not show any significant shifting character in last 50 years, but a major avulsion of 11 km is found in its confluence with the Ganges. The study provides recent and reliable information on the channel planform dynamics and will help as a decision support tool for designing and implementation of drainage development works.