77 International Journal of Basic Sciences & Applied Research. Vol., 5 (1), 77-85, 2016 Available online at http://www.isicenter.org ISSN 2147-3749 ©2016 A GIS Based Approach in Estimation of Surface Runoff from Kharun River Basin in Chhattisgarh State India Ishtiyaq Ahmad 1* , Dr. M. K. Verma 2 1 Ph.D Research Scholar, Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology Raipur, India 2 Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, National Institute of Technology Raipur, India * Corresponding Author Email: iahmad.ce@nitrr.ac.in Abstract One of the important components of hydrologic cycle is runoff and influenced by various factors including precipitation and watershed characteristics. Numbers of mathematical models are available to quantify runoff. National Resources Conservation Service (NRSC) has developed a Geographic Information System (GIS) based method known as Soil Conservation Services-Curve Number method (SCS-CN) for computing the runoff depth based on the rainfall depth. This method has universal acceptance as it is simple, predictable and stable method for computing runoff depth. This method is based on one parameter i.e. curve number, which is basically a coefficient that reduces the rainfall to runoff. In the present study SCS-CN method has been applied to estimate the runoff depth in Kharun River basin, a sub-basin of Sheonath river in Chhattisgarh state. Various layers has been prepared namely base map, soil map, land use map and other map of the study area using GIS and remote sensing data. Based on the rainfall data of 21 rain gauge stations in and around the study area, daily runoff depth has been estimated. Keywords: Curve Number, Hydrologic Soil Group, Geographic Information System, Remote Sensing, Runoff. Introduction This study aims to compute the runoff depth using Soil Conservation Service-Curve Number (SCS-CN) method using Remote Sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS). As per Subramanya (2013) the SCS-CN is a quantitative description of land use / land cover / soil complex characteristics of a watershed. This model is a widely used hydrological model for estimating runoff using runoff and curve number (CN) as indicated by Seth et al. (1997-98). The CN is an index that represents the watershed runoff potential. In the present study GIS based SCS-CN method is used for estimating the runoff depth in the Kharun River Sub-Basin of Sheonath river Basin of Chhattisgarh State of India. The present study reveals that the remote sensing and GIS based SCS-CN can be effectively used to estimate the runoff from the river basins of similar geo-hydrological characteristics.