Analysis of Land Use and Land Cover Change in Gummidipoondi Using Remote Sensing and GIS Tools

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the changes in land use and land cover (LULC) in Gummidipoondi and the surrounding areas in Thiruvallur district, Tamilnadu India.Spatio-temporal variation in the land use and land cover were analysed on a decadal basis for the period from 1990 to 2019 using remote sensing and GIS based tools. The Landsat 5 (TM) and Resource-Sat 2 (LISS-III) data was used for the LULC classificationin the study area. During the study period from 1990 to 2019, built-up area including industrial, urban and rural land use increased by about 147%. Predominant change was also noticed in the mudflat category where more than 95% of it was lost to various other land uses such as agriculture and marsh area. This observation calls for planning and conservation of sensitive ecosystems in the study area that may be lost due to anthropogenic pressures via pollution and undesirable conversion of LULC. The study revealed no significant changes in the extent of other LULC classes such as agriculture, forests, plantations, land with or without scrub, rivers and waterbodies in the study area