Developing a sustainable framework for water resources management: GIS-based case study of Central India watershed

¹ Department of Civil Engineering, CVR College of Engineering, Hyderabad, India
² Department of Civil Engineering, Institute of Aeronautical Engineering, Telangana, India.

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Published online: 3 August 2026

Abstract

Water and land are essential resources for human survival and are critical for sustainable development. These fundamental natural resources play a vital role in environmental preservation, agricultural productivity, environmental stewardship, industrial growth, electricity generation, and the rejuvenation of both land and atmosphere. This study primarily focuses on the sustainable protection and utilization of these natural resources. Due to the increasing demand for food and the shift of farmland to urban and industrial uses, agriculture has been forced to expand into marginal lands and intensively cultivate existing fields. Such intensive practices, particularly on unstable soils, exacerbate soil loss due to water erosion. The study area chosen for the development of the action plan is the Khindsy watershed in the Ramtek taluka of Nagpur district, Maharashtra. Using Survey of India (SOI) topographic sheets and remote sensing data, maps depicting drainage systems, water bodies, contours, land use, and soil types were created. The main objective of this research is to develop a sustainable action plan for identifying potential locations for water recharging facilities to conserve surface runoff. A geographic information system (GIS) was employed to analyze land use factors such as slope steepness and upland drainage areas, integrating sustainability considerations.