Variation of soil moisture characteristics in a part of the Hindon river catchment - A research report by the National Institute of Hydrology

The study attempts to do a field and laboratory determination of soil moisture characteristics such as particle size distribution, hydraulic conductivity and soil moisture retention curve in a part of the Hindon river catchment and studies the variation of these along the river in its upstream reach.

Mathematical models of hydrologic and agricultural systems require knowledge of the relationships between soil moisture content, soil water pressure and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity. A sustained research effort towards their parametrisation has resulted in development of several field and threoritical models. The study is a step in that direction and the report presents a thorough soil investigation for the uppermost part of Hindon river.

A total of thirty-eight soil samples were collected from fourteen sites in Aurangabad, Kamalpur, Budhakhera, Gagalheri and Dudhil Bukhara comprising around 24 km reach, upstream of Hindon river. Field determination of saturated hydraulic conductivity was done for all the collected soil samples. Soil texture was determined through sieve analysis and laser diffraction technique, while porosity was measured for each soil sample. Saturated hydraulic conductivity was measured through ICW Permeameter in the laboratory. A retention curve was obtained using a pressure plate apparatus. Unsaturated hydraulic conductivity function was indirectly derived through van Genuchten retention parameters.

The knowledge of the physics of soil water movement is crucial to the solution of problems in watershed hydrology, such as the prediction of runoff and infiltration following precipitation, the subsequent distribution of infiltrated water into drainage and evaporation, and estimation of the contribution of various parts of the watershed to the groundwater storage. The study presents a convenient and reliable technique for estimating the soil hydraulic properties that are required for prediction of soil water flow.

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