Abstract
Jharia coalfield (JCF) is one of the largest coalfields and main source of coking coal in India. Since nationalization of coal mines in 1973 and with increasing demand of coal in energy sector, the overall production of coal has increased. To keep pace with production, the opencast mining is one of the viable alternatives, which has direct impact on the environment. Monitoring of environmental degradation due to mining is a major issue today. Remote sensing techniques can be applied effectively for this purpose. Analysis of multispectral satellite data of last 15 years (1997 to 2012) indicates the changes in land use land cover (LULC) pattern. In JCF, the opencast mine area has increased by 4.72% from year 1997 to 2012, inducing a decrease in agricultural and forested areas. Considering a 15-year time span, the overall annual rate of change in mining area causing loss of green cover is less than 0.5%. Analysis of LULC change pattern can help in careful planning to reclaim the land disturbed by opencast mining.
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