Application of Remote Sensing and Gis Tools in Mountainous Region for Delineation and Prioritization of Watershed Characteristics of Balia Nala in Nainital District in Indian Himalayan Region for Water Resources Development and Management for Food Security

Availability of data for hydrological and water management analyses is a point of concern, especially in Mountainous Regions. Remote sensing is being used successfully as an alternative that provides spatially and temporally consistent information required for efficient water resources management. An effort is made to highlight remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS) and their applicability in data scarce mountainous regions for water resources development and management. The usefulness of RS and GIS for delineation and prioritization of watershed characteristics for development and management of water resources for food security. A watershed is the area of land where all of the water that falls in it and drains off of it goes into the same place or common outlet. Watershed analysis is carried out for quantitative evaluation of drainage basin and for planning and management of water resources. Keywords: Delineation, prioritization, characterization, watershed, food security