Assessment of the Impact of Urbanization on Geoenvironmental Settings Using Geospatial Techniques: A Study of Panchkula District, Haryana

Shruti Kanga,Suraj Kumar Singh,Nikola Kranjčić,Ruby Parveen,Gowhar Meraj,Anup Kumar,Bojan Đurin

doi:10.3390/geographies2010001

Shruti Kanga, Suraj Kumar Singh + Show 5 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/geographies2010001

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Abstract

Urbanization is an unavoidable process of social and economic growth in modern times. However, the speed with which urbanization is taking place produces complex environmental changes. It has affected the surface albedo and roughness of the soil, thereby modulating hydrological and ecological systems, which in turn has affected regional and local climate systems. In developing countries of South Asia, rampant and unplanned urbanization has created a complex system of adverse environmental scenarios. Similar is the case in India. The state of the urban environment across India is degrading so quickly that the long-term sustainability of its cities is endangered. Many metropolitan cities in India are witnessing the harmful impacts of urbanization on their land ecology. In this context, remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) based assessments provide a comprehensive and effective analysis of the rate and the impact of urbanization. The present study focuses on understanding the spatiotemporal characteristics of urban growth and its implications on the geomorphology of the Panchkula District, Haryana, one of the fastest-growing urban centers in India. The study links the changes in land use/land cover (LULC) with the changing geomorphology of the study area using satellite remote sensing and GIS. The results showed that between 1980 and 2020, agricultural (+73.71%), built-up (+84.66%), and forest (+4.07%) classes of land increased in contrast to that of the fallow land (−76.80%) and riverbed (−50.86%) classes that have decreased in spatial extents. It has been observed that the hill geomorphological class had decreased in the area owing to conversion to industrial and built-up activities. Assessment of the environmental quality of cities involves multiple disciplines that call for a significant amount of scientific evaluation and strong decision making, and the present study shall lay down the baseline analysis of the impact of changing LULC on the geomorphological setup of the selected urban center.

Highlights

Land use/land cover assessment is critical for planners, managers, government and non-governmental organizations, and the scientific community to implement policies for natural resource conservation and sustainable development while reducing environmental damage
The purpose of this study is to examine the changes in land use/land cover (LULC) between 1980 and 2020 in Panchkula District, India, and the associated changes in the geomorphological setup of the area
The main issues linked with city centers in India are unplanned growth, changing land utilization/land cover, and the loss of valuable agricultural areas

Summary

Introduction

In recent years there has been mass migration to urban cities. There are different reasons for identifying settlement priorities in cities around the world [1]. There has been an increasing interest in the quality of life of metropolitan regions that attract people to these regions. Urban quality includes multidisciplinary characteristics and interrelated criteria, including jobs, recreation, better living conditions, and options for a wide range of livelihoods for human wellbeing [2,3]. Because of these factors, the United Nations

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