Remote Sensing and GIS-Based Morphometric Analysis for Groundwater Prioritization in the Siyom River Basin, Arunachal Pradesh

This study investigates the morphometric characteristics and groundwater suitability of the Siyom River Basin in Arunachal Pradesh, India, employing Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques.Eleven sub-watersheds within the basin were analyzed based on key morphometric parameters including land use/land cover (LULC), slope, drainage density, bifurcation ratio, elongation ratio, and compactness constant, among others.These parameters were integrated into a multi-criteria evaluation framework to identify areas with the highest groundwater potential.Sub-watershed 1 was found to be the most groundwater-deficient, requiring immediate conservation efforts, while subwatershed 9 exhibited the most favorable conditions for groundwater recharge.The analysis revealed significant spatial variability in groundwater availability, with areas exhibiting high runoff and low infiltration identified as the most vulnerable.The study highlights the importance of site-specific groundwater management strategies that balance the demand for water with ecological and environmental sustainability.The results underscore the effectiveness of combining remote sensing-derived morphometric data with GIS-based analysis to inform groundwater conservation planning.This approach provides a comprehensive decisionmaking tool for sustainable water resource management in the Siyom River Basin.