Impact of land use change dynamics on sustainability of groundwater resources using earth observation data

Abstract

The aim of the present work was to determine the effects of long-term changes in land use/land cover (LULC) on surface and groundwater resources of quaternary aquifers in the Lucknow area of the Ganga plain, based on the analysis of multi-temporal satellite and field survey data. Changes in LULC for the period of 2008 and 2016 were mapped using Landsat-7 and Landsat-8 satellite data by applying hybrid image classification techniques. Hydro-geomorphic feature mapping for 2008 and 2016 was also carried out to monitor changes in important surface and subsurface hydro-geomorphic features of the area such as paleochannels, cut-off meanders, oxbow lakes, meander scars, flood plains and younger alluvial plain, and observation found that a decreasing trend in most features. Groundwater level data of selected wells for 2008 and 2016 were used to analyze the trend in groundwater level depletion and its relation with land use change and hydro-geomorphic features. In general, the observations from the present study clearly indicate that large-scale changes in groundwater reservoirs has been taken place due to changes in LULC, hydro-geomorphic features and extensive groundwater exploration practices over the past decade. The results show 4.09% increase in built-up land, 5.49% increase in open area, 8.80% decrease in vegetation cover, 2.31% decrease in agricultural land and 0.35% decrease in surface water bodies. The results observed through monitoring of LULC change, along with water level dynamics of the area, provide scientific data base for the protection, governance and decision-making for water resources management.