Changes in River Channel Dynamics of the Satluj River, Punjab: Using a Geospatial Approach

Abstract

River channel change is a dynamic process which involves erosion, accretion, lateral migration and changes in its width through the geomorphological process. Shifting of a river causes a direct impact on natural and manmade constructions which are located near the floodplain with consistent damage and devastation of the area. The objective of this study is to analyze the spatiotemporal variation along the Satluj river during the period 1990 to 2019 using Landsat TM, ETM+ and OLI satellite data. Spatiotemporal analysis of the river channel has been carried out to analyze the river channel change morphology, mid-line channel shifting and changes in surface water area of the Satluj river using twenty randomly distributed cross-sections (X1-X20). For surface water area change analysis, the satellite derived normalized difference water index (NDWI) has been used. The obtained results indicates that the river width increased by 0.033 km in overall cross-section (X1-X20) in the year 2019 as compared to the year 1990. Mid-line shifting of the river is mostly towards the left bank of the river. The maximum channel shifting of 1.364 km took place from Chak Bandala village in Jalandhar district to Madarpur village in Moga district between the years 1990 and 2019. However, the NDWI results indicate that the river surface area has been reduced by -90.33 km² between the years 1990 and 2019. Additionally, the average shifting rate of the Satluj river during the period 1990 to 2019 is by 0.778 km.