TITLE:
Influence of the Geomorphology of the Okpara Watershed on Lowland Water Resources (Benin)
AUTHORS:
Idrissou Sinabarigui, O. Luc Sintondji, Mathieu Hounsou, Jean-Pierre Vandervaere
KEYWORDS:
GIS, DEM, Hydrology, Morphometry, Watershed, Okpara
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Geoscience and Environment Protection,
Vol.10 No.12,
December
29,
2022
ABSTRACT: Inland valleys are agro-ecosystems whose study is necessary not only for
agricultural and agro-pastoral perspectives but also for the management of natural
crises such as floods and droughts. This cannot be done by ignoring the
catchment area which circumscribes them. The present study aims at evaluating
the geomorphological parameters of the basin and their influence on the
hydrological functioning of the Okpara catchment in general and the lowlands in
particular for a good management of the said basin. To do so, an SRTM image was
exploited thanks to GIS and Remote Sensing tools to analyze the morphometric
properties of this watershed with ArcGIS 10.3 software. Through the results of
this study, it can be seen that the Okpara watershed is very elongated, the
relief is not very uneven with a dense hydrographic network characterized by
low peak flood flows. The watershed is characterized by a permeable geological
formation that favours a good infiltration of surface water and limits runoff.
Thus, for a good management of the catchment area from these lowlands at the
head of the hydrographic network, it is important to undertake actions to
improve the storage capacity and to restore the flow channels.