Abstract
The lateritic region of the Birbhum District of West Bengal is part of the low-level unconsolidated erosional deposits from the eastern Chotanagpur plateau. Topographically, the region is the part of the ‘Rarh Plain’ of western West Bengal. A localized badland, namely ‘Khoai,’ has developed in the west–south to north–east direction on the bank of the River Kopai in this lateritic region. The aim of the present study is to understand the slope, channel profile, and development processes of the rill-gully of Khoai badland topography. Therefore, both quantitative analysis and field investigation have been carried out to fulfill these objectives. To understand the nature of the gullies profiles, a least squares linear regression model as well as Hack’s Stream Length–Gradient Index (SL) has been used in this study. The Soil Conservation Service-Curve Number (SCS-CN) method has been applied for the computation of the rainfall–runoff relationship of the study area. The rate of sediment transportation was calculated on the basis of the J.R. Williams Sediment Delivery Ratio (SDR). It was found that the existing badland topography in this region has been developed mainly by the climatogenetic processes of water erosion. The various water erosion processes, such as rain splash erosion, sheet erosion, and inter-rill erosion, have been very active over a long period. The laterites of this region have been dissected and shaped into numerous rills and gullies by the aforementioned erosion and weathering processes over time. It was also observed that the dominance of lower-order gullies indicates a high rate of soil erosion. Furthermore, it was found that a huge volume of sediment has been transported by surface runoff in this region. It was estimated that the region experiences a high rate of SDR (0.87–1.01).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Santiniketan is a popular tourist spot of the state of West Bengal. The place is well known for the natural forest, bird sanctuary, and red soil as well as the distinct rural and cultural landscape.
- 2.
Kalbaisakhi normally originate over the Chotanagpur plateau and are carried eastward by the westerly wind. The term ‘Kalbaisakhi’ literally means the black storms or a mass of dark clouds of the month of Vaiasakha.
- 3.
Kinetic energy is determined by the mass of the object and its velocity (Charlton 2008).
References
Ahmed I, Verma V, Verma M (2015) Application of curve number method for estimation of runoff potential in GIS environment. In: 2nd International Conference on Geological and Civil Engineering, Singapore 80(4):16–20
Aown A, Kar N (2016) Lateritic badland of Sinhati, Bankura, West Bengal: a geomorphic investigation. In: Das BC, Ghosh S, Islam A, Ismail M (eds) Neo-thinking on Ganges-Brahmaputra Basin geomorphology. Springer, Berlin pp 19–31
Bandhopadhyay S (1987) Man-initiated gullying and slope formation in a lateritic terrain at Santiniketan West Bengal. Geogr Rev India 49(4):21–26
Bandyopadhyay S (1988) Drainage evolution in a badland terrain at Gangani in Mednipur district, West Bengal. Geogr Rev India 50(3):10–20
Basu SR (1972) On the formation of a shoal on the concave bank of lateritic river Kopai, West Bengal. Geogr Rev India 34(3):287–297
Battaglia S, Leoni L, Rapetti F et al (2011) Dynamic evolution of badlands in the Rogilo basin (Tuscany, Italy). Catena 86(1):14–23
Bera K, Bandyopadhyay J (2013) Prioritization of watershed using morphometric analysis through geoinformatics technology: a case study of Dungra water sub-basin, West Bengal, India. Int J Adv Remote Sens GIS 2(1):1–8
Bhattacharya JC (1957) Erosion studies in the lateritic areas of West Bengal. J Indian Soc Soil Sci 5:103–108
Biswas A (1987) Laterites and lateritiods of Bengal. In: Datye VS, Diddee J, Jog SR, Patil C (eds) Exploration in the tropics. Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, pp 137–146
Chakraborty SC (1970) Some consideration on the evolution of physiography of Bengal. In: Chatterjee AB, Gupta A, Mukhopadhyay (eds) West Bengal. Geographical Institute, Presidency College, Calcutta, pp 16–29
Charlton R (2008) Fundamentals of fluvial geomorpholgy. Routledge, New York
Das K, Bandyopadhyay S (1995) Badland development over laterite duricrust. In: Jog SR (ed) Indian geomorphology 1. Rawat Publications, New Delhi, pp 31–42
Das K, Bandyopadhyay S (1996) Badland development lateritic terrain: Santiniketan, West Bengal. In: Jog SR (ed) National Geographer 31(1, 2):87–103
Das S, Behera S, Kar A et al (1997) Hydrogeomorphological mapping in ground water exploration using remotely sensed data– a case study in Keonjhar district, Orissa. J Indian Soc Remote Sens 25(4):247–259
Dey S, Ghosh S, Debbarman C et al (2009) Some regional indicators of the tertiary-quaternary geodynamics in the palaeocostal part of Bengal Basin (India). Russ Geol Geophys 50(10):884–894
Fairbridge RW (ed) (1968) Encyclopedia of geomorphology. Reinhold, New York
Ferro V, Minacapalli M (1995) Sediment delivery processes at basin scale. Hydrol Sci J 40(6):703–717
Gajbhiye S (2015) Estimation of surface runoff using remote sensing and geographic information system. Int J Serv Sci Technol 8(4):113–122
Gajbhiye S, Mishra S, Pandey A (2014) Relationship between SCS-CN and sediment yield. Appl Water Sci 4(4):363–370
Ghosh S, Bhattacharya K (2012) Multivariate erosion risk assessment of lateritic badlands of Birbhum (West Bengal, India): a case study. J Earth Syst Sci 121(6):1441–1454
Ghosh S, Guchhait S (2012) Soil loss estimation through USLE and MMF methods in the lateritic tracts of eastern plateau fringe of Rajmahal traps, India. Ethiop J Environ Stud Manag 5(4):529–541
Google earth pro V 7.3.2.5776. (July 18, 2018) Khoai badland, West Bengal, India. 23°40’24.89”N, 87°39’08.23”E, Eye alt 12680 feet. DigitalGlobe 2018. http://www.earth.google.com
GSI (1948) Published Geological quadrangle map, Kolkata, India
Guzha AC, Rufino MC, Okoth S, Jacobs S, Nobrega RLB (2018) Impact of land use and land cover change on surface runoff, discharge and low flows: evidence from east Africa. J Hydrol Reg Stud 15:49–67
Hack JT (1957) Studies of longitudinal stream profiles in Virginia and Maryland. US Geol Surv Prof Papers 294:45–97
Hack JT (1973) Stream profile analysis and stream-gradient index J Res US Geol Surv 1(4):421–429
Horton RE (1932) Drainage basin characteristics. EOS Trans Am Geophys Union 13(1):350–361
Jha V, Gupta K (2003) Land degradation in tropical lands: a case study. In: Jha VC (ed) Land degradation and desertification. Rawat Publications, New Delhi, pp 279–290
Jha V, Kapat S (2009) Rill and gully erosion risk of lateritic terrain in south-western Birbhum district, West Bengal, India. Soc Nat 21(2):141–158
Jha V, Kapat S (2011) Degraded lateritic soils cape and uses in Birbhum district, West Bengal, India. Soc Nat 23(3):545–558
Joshi V (2014) Soil loss estimation by field measurements in the badlands along Pravara River (Western India). J Geol Soc India 83:613–624
Laha M (2011) Spatio-social impact of miniwatershed project at Bhalki, Bardhaman district, West Bengal. Wesleyan J Res 14(1):155–174
Leopold LB, Wolman MG, Miller JP (1964) Fluvial process in geomorphology. WH Freeman, San Francisco
Magar P, Magar N (2016) Application of Hack’s stream gradient index (SL index) to longitudinal profiles of the river flowing across Satpura-Purna plain, Western Vidarbha, Maharashtra. J Indian Geomorphol 4:65–72
Martz LW, Garbrecht J (1999) An outlet breaching algorithm for the treatment of closed depressions in a raster DEM. Comput Geosci 25(7):835–844
Mukhopadhyay S (1992) Soil erosion in Kopai basin, Birbhum. J Land Syst Ecol Stud 15(2):22–23
Nadal-Romero E, Regues D (2010) Geomorphological dynamics of subhumid mountain badland areas: weathering, hydrological and suspended sediment transport processes. A case study in the Araguas catchment (Central Pyrenees) and implications for altered hydroclimatic regimes. Prog Phys Geogr Earth Environ 34(2):123–150
NBSS & LUP (2010) Published soil texture map of West Bengal, ICAR-Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Niyogi D, Mallick S, Sarkar S (1970) A preliminary study of laterites of West Bengal. India. In: Chatterjee SP, Das S, Gupta P (eds) Selected papers in physical geography vol 1. 21st International Geographical Congress, Calcutta, National Committee for Geography, pp 443–449
Onyando JO, Kisoyan P, Chemelil MC (2005) Estimation of potential soil erosion for River Perkerra catchment in Kenya. Water Resour Manag 19:133–143
Ouyang D, Bartholic J (1997) Predicting sediment delivery ratio in Saginaw Bay watershed. In: Orlando FL (ed) Proceedings of the 22nd National Association Environmental Professionals Conference, USA, pp 19–23
Pal SC, Chakrabortty R (2018) Modeling of water induced surface soil erosion and the potential risk zone prediction in a sub-tropical watershed of Eastern India. Model Earth Syst Environ 125
Pal SC, Shit M (2017) Application of RUSLE model for soil loss estimation of Jaipanda watershed, West Bengal. Spatial Inform Res 25(3):399–409
Roy J, Saha S (2017) Measuring the spatial pattern of surface runoff using SCS-CN method of Hinglo river basin: RS-GIS approach. Int Res J Earth Sci 5(8)1–7
Sarkar D, Nayak D, Dutta D et al (2007) Optimizing land use of Birbhum district (West Bengal) soil resource assessment. NBSS Publ. 130. NBSS and LUP Nagpur
Seeber L, Gornitz V (1983) River profiles along the Himalayan arc as indicators of active tectonics. Tectonophysics 92:335–367
Sehgal J, Abrol IP (1994) Soil degradation in India: status and impact. Oxford/IBH, New Delhi
Sen J, Sen S, Bandyopadhyay S (2004) Geomorphological investigation of badlands: a case study of Garhbeta, West Medinipur district, West Bengal, India. In: Singh S, Sharma HS, De SK (eds) Geomorphology and environment. ACB, Kolkata, pp 204–234
Sen P K (1993) Geomorphological analysis of drainage basins. Burdwan University Press, Burdwan, India
Shit P, Bhunia G, Maiti R (2013) Assessment of factors affecting ephemeral gully development in badland topography: a case study at Garhbeta badland (Paschim Medinipur). Int J Geosci 4(2):461–470
Shit P, Bhunia G, Maiti R (2014) Morphology and development of selected badlands in South Bengal (India). Indian J Geogr Environ 13:161–171
Shit PK, Maiti RK (2012) Mechanism of gully-head retreat: a study at Ganganir Danga, Paschim Medinipur, West Bengal. Ethiop J Environ Stud Manag 5(4):417–431
Siddi R, Sudarsana G, Rajasekhar M (2018) Estimation of rainfall-runoff using SCS-CN method with RS GIS techniques for Mandavi basin in YSR Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh, India. Hydrospatial Anal 2(1):1–15
Stone RO (1967) A desert glossary. Earth Sci Rev 211–268
Strahler AN (1964) Quantitative geomorphology of drainage basins and channel networks. In: Chow VT (ed) Handbook of applied hydrology McGraw-Hill, New York, pp 739–476
Thomas MF (1974) Tropical geomorphology. Macmillan, London, pp 49–82
USDA (1972) Sediment sources, yields, and delivery ratios. National Engineering Handbook, Section 3, Sedimentation. USDA, Washington, DC
USDA (1986) Natural Resources Conservation Service, Conservation Engineering Division, Technical Release 55. USDA, Washington, DC
Walling DE (1983) The sediment delivery problem. J Hydrol 65:209–237
Williams JR (1977) Sediment routing for agricultural watersheds. Water Resour Bull 11(5):965–974
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Saha, A., Ghosh, M., Pal, S.C. (2020). Understanding the Morphology and Development of a Rill-Gully: An Empirical Study of Khoai Badland, West Bengal, India. In: Shit, P., Pourghasemi, H., Bhunia, G. (eds) Gully Erosion Studies from India and Surrounding Regions. Advances in Science, Technology & Innovation. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23243-6_9
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-23243-6_9
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-23242-9
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-23243-6
eBook Packages: Earth and Environmental ScienceEarth and Environmental Science (R0)