Simulation of monthly streamflow using the SWAT model of the Ib River watershed, India
Leelambar Singh, Subbarayan Saravanan
Abstract
The objective of the study is simulating the streamflow and predicting water balance components using Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model for Ib River watershed in Mahanadi River basin. Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) daily rainfall and monthly streamflow data were used to develop the model from 1993 to 2011. The calibration showed better response than validation in which the determination of coefficient, Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency and percent of bias were 0.77; 0.75 and −19.1, respectively. The temporal and spatial variability of water balance components over study area were determined. This study shows that almost 26–50% of the rainfall was lost by evapotranspiration. The spatial variability of surface runoff was higher on the southern region, groundwater was lower due to the dominance of tile drainage, and lateral flow was higher on southern region. This study will enhance the understanding of hydrological components behaviour on the sparse rain network.