Description of Study Area
West Sikkim is a district of the Coloured Stone Carving at Tashiding Monastary of
the Indian state of Sikkim. Its capital is Geyzing, also known as Gyalshing. The
district is a favorite among trekkers because of the high elevation. Other important
towns include Pelling and Jorethang. The district is enriched with a wide variety of
fauna and flora. Because most of the district is hilly, it enjoys a temperate climate.
Above 3800 m the slopes are mainly covered with rhododendron forests. The
economy is mainly agrarian, although most of the land is unfit for cultivation
owing to the precipitous and rocky slopes. The region has developed many power
projects and enjoys almost uninterrupted electricity. Roads, however, are in poor
condition because of the frequent landslides. Thus, an attempt has been made to
assess the quantum of the stream flow and its impact on water quality status in the
defined study area where advanced forest conservation activities are going on to
preserve the forest hydrology.
The selected study area is located at the western part of Sikkim, India. The total
geographical area of West Sikkim is about 116 km
2 , and the study area is demarcated
by three different sites (Fig. 9.1) from which the samples were collected. The
detailed description of the study area is also shown in Table 9.1. The density of
the population is found to be 836 km
2 whereas the population of West Sikkim as per
the 2011 census is about 109,513. In the present study, sites are classified into
disturbed, semidisturbed, and undisturbed with a catchment area of 3.5 km
2 . About
60–65% of the area is covered by forest. Rangit River is one of the main rivers
flowing across the region, which originates from Rimbi and Nambu Khola and is
discharged into the Teesta River.
Figure 9.2 indicates the movement of a conjectural stormwater flow path in
different surface layers and the subsurface profile with the flow direction in West
Sikkim. Figure 9.3 is an idealized section showing soil formation found where soil
moisture is high on the hill slopes of West Sikkim for plantation activities. Different
forest canopies in Sikkim are also important in increasing soil moisture content.
Figure 9.4 shows the elevation profile of the study area, which is higher near the
areas of the reserved forest. In recent days changes in land use and land cover have
altered the topsoil cover, triggering more soil erosion that alters the soil and water
quality of the selected sampling sites. No or few physical studies have highlighted
estimation of the surface runoff and its impact on soil and water quality.
Materials and Methods
Data Collection
A nonrecording rain gauge station and pan evaporimeter were installed in the
selected catchment. Rainfall and evaporation data have been recorded from May
210
M. B. Roy et al.
West Sikkim is a district of the Coloured Stone Carving at Tashiding Monastary of
the Indian state of Sikkim. Its capital is Geyzing, also known as Gyalshing. The
district is a favorite among trekkers because of the high elevation. Other important
towns include Pelling and Jorethang. The district is enriched with a wide variety of
fauna and flora. Because most of the district is hilly, it enjoys a temperate climate.
Above 3800 m the slopes are mainly covered with rhododendron forests. The
economy is mainly agrarian, although most of the land is unfit for cultivation
owing to the precipitous and rocky slopes. The region has developed many power
projects and enjoys almost uninterrupted electricity. Roads, however, are in poor
condition because of the frequent landslides. Thus, an attempt has been made to
assess the quantum of the stream flow and its impact on water quality status in the
defined study area where advanced forest conservation activities are going on to
preserve the forest hydrology.
The selected study area is located at the western part of Sikkim, India. The total
geographical area of West Sikkim is about 116 km
2 , and the study area is demarcated
by three different sites (Fig. 9.1) from which the samples were collected. The
detailed description of the study area is also shown in Table 9.1. The density of
the population is found to be 836 km
2 whereas the population of West Sikkim as per
the 2011 census is about 109,513. In the present study, sites are classified into
disturbed, semidisturbed, and undisturbed with a catchment area of 3.5 km
2 . About
60–65% of the area is covered by forest. Rangit River is one of the main rivers
flowing across the region, which originates from Rimbi and Nambu Khola and is
discharged into the Teesta River.
Figure 9.2 indicates the movement of a conjectural stormwater flow path in
different surface layers and the subsurface profile with the flow direction in West
Sikkim. Figure 9.3 is an idealized section showing soil formation found where soil
moisture is high on the hill slopes of West Sikkim for plantation activities. Different
forest canopies in Sikkim are also important in increasing soil moisture content.
Figure 9.4 shows the elevation profile of the study area, which is higher near the
areas of the reserved forest. In recent days changes in land use and land cover have
altered the topsoil cover, triggering more soil erosion that alters the soil and water
quality of the selected sampling sites. No or few physical studies have highlighted
estimation of the surface runoff and its impact on soil and water quality.
Materials and Methods
Data Collection
A nonrecording rain gauge station and pan evaporimeter were installed in the
selected catchment. Rainfall and evaporation data have been recorded from May
210
M. B. Roy et al.