Groundwater Decrease Research Articles

Aquatic Weeds Diversity in India and its Management by Composting: A Review

According to UNDP, about 70% of the global natural wetlands have been lost during the last decade. The continual decrease in the amount of fresh water available to humans for use is a cause of major concern today. In India also, diminishing freshwater bodies, decreasing ground water levels, increasing anthropogenic activities and pollution are posing challenges to the management of water bodies. In recent years, lot of research and efforts have been made worldwide to reclaim the depleting water resources. Continuous and increasing infestation of water bodies with aquatic weeds is one of the leading causes of its deterioration and vanishing. Within this context the present review was undertaken with the aim to understand the diversity of the aquatic weeds in India and composting as a management option to control the growth of the aquatic weeds.

Agro Climatic Zoning of Saffron Culture in Miyaneh City by Using WLC Method and Remote Sensing Data

Recent continuous droughts and decreasing ground water tables have prompted efforts to improve irrigation schedules and introduce crops that need less water. A study was recently conducted to determine suitable zones for saffron in Miyaneh using Landsat-8 images and the weighted linear combination (WLC) method. Climatic and geographical indices for saffron cultivation in the region were for soil type, slope, soil moisture, and soil salinity. Parameters such as 30 years of data on climate, soil, and water conditions were collected from synoptic and climatologic stations such as Tabriz. Then, parameters were weighted using WLC for importance in each region. The data were transferred to expert choice and clustered, rated, and integrated to produce the last layer. The results showed that the southeastern and northwestern regions of Miyaneh, especially the banks of rivers and catchments, were identified as suitable places for saffron cultivation and that 28% of the area is in the suitable class, 36% in the relatively moderately suitable class, 20% in the critical suitability class, and the rest of the area, which covers about 16% of the area, is in the non-suitable class. Therefore, if it is possible to identify favorable areas for saffron cultivation according to the climatic requirements and it is possible in practice to achieve higher performance per unit area, that in itself will contribute to improved economic conditions and levels of income for farmers. Due to the special characteristics of saffron, substituting it for the cultivation of crops with high water requirements, such as onions, potatoes, tomatoes, etc., will help reduce water consumption.

Agricultural soil management to reduce N2O emission

N2O is a greenhouse gas with a radiative forcing 298 times that of CO2 and is the substance that contributes most to the destruction of the stratospheric ozone layer. Current global N2O emission from the earth surface is 18.5 Tg y−1. Soil N2O emission is 13 Tg y−1, in which agricultural soil N2O emission accounts for 7 Tg y−1. N2O is produced as byproduct during nitrification process and interim product during denitrification process, mainly produced by denitrification in soils with increasing fertilizer application, as evidenced in agricultural fields. N2O emission increased significantly during the practices of fertilizer application, compost application, and harvesting, and peaked at a soil temperature of 20 °C or higher and a water-filled pore space of 60-70%. N2O emissions increased due to a decrease in soil pH. Soil pH tended to increase with the application of compost, and N2O in the compost plot decreased over time compared to the chemical fertilizer plot. This is because the optimal pH of incomplete denitrifying bacteria causing nitrous oxide emission is lower than that of complete denitrifying bacteria. Therefore, it is recognized that the pH should be 6.5 or more to suppress the N2O. In order to make better handling of compost, compost pellet has been developed, because it was found that nitrogen addition into compost pellet reduces N2O emission. N2O emission is related to the amount of inorganic nitrogen in soil. N2O emission increases with organic matter decomposition in soil and nitrogen fertilizer application. In organic soil (peat), huge N2O emission of several 100 kgN ha−1 y−1 was found in vegetable fields in a tropical peat land. Organic matter decomposition increases with drop of ground water table level, enhancing N2O emission. An eight-year oil palm plantation study at a tropical peat land showed that NO3- N concentration decreased and N2O emissions decreased with the increase in oil palm yield. The yield of oil palm increased with the increase of water-filled pore space of the soil and N2O significantly decreased when the water-filled pore space became more than 70%. Therefore, following three managements are recommended to reduce N2O emission from agricultural soil: 1) Restrict excessive nitrogen application (apply nitrogen according to the amount of nitrogen taken up by crops); 2) Prevent excessive organic matter decomposition (maintain capillary water rise without excessively decreasing ground water table level in peatlands); 3) Prevent low pH of soil (apply compost to reduce chemical nitrogen fertilizer application).

Assessing the land use/land cover and climate change impact on water balance on Tordzie watershed

Water resources management in watersheds require quantitative knowledge of it in time and space. Water availability in watersheds are influenced by land use/cover (LULC) and climate change. This study relate LULC and projected climate changes to water balance in Tordzie basin using climate scenario of RCP 4.5 with CCCMA Model. SWAT embedded in ArcGIS was used for the water availability assessment after calibration (2000–2003) and validation (2004–2006) using discharge from Tordzinu within Tordzie. The Nash-Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE), Coefficient of regression (R2) and Percent bias (PBIAS) were performance evaluators employed to assess model suitability and validity on monthly time scale. The SWAT performance indicator values were 0.74, 0.74, −5.10% respectively for 2003 LULC and 0.88, 0.89 and + 0.30% for 2017 LULC. The simulated surface flow (SURF_Q) under the LULC scenarios increased by 24.65% and water yield (WYLD) decreased by 6.7%. The annual simulated water yield were 132.21 mm and 123.30 mm. We found LULC have significantly impacted the hydrology of Tordzie watershed. Projected water balance (2050) indicated increase in surface flow (19.00%) and decrease in ground water (36.40%), base flow (0.77%) and water yield (6.50%). This was linked to climate change. Further study of the watershed is recommended incorporating the water quality parameters.

Changes in the Dynamics and Nature of Sedimentation in Mill Ponds as an Indicator of Environmental Changes in a Selected Lake Catchment (Chełmińskie Lake District, Poland)

The article presents the changes in a hydrographic network resulting from the construction and functioning of nine water mills located in the Struga Rychnowska catchment (Poland). Two ponds (Bierzgieł and Oleszek) have been chosen for a detailed study—both with similar basin origins and morphological settings, but different morphometries, paths of water delivery and discharges from the mill, and water retention times. An attempt was made to restore the course of the deposit sedimentation process in mill pond basins on the basis of historical sources, archived cartographic materials, fieldwork, and laboratory analyses (sedimentology, palynology, and 14C dating). The studies allowed determining the scope of anthropogenic impact on the environment on the example of small river catchment, both when the ponds were in use, and afterwards. Decommissioning of water mills induced a number of serious changes in water resources. The most important of them include: the loss of water retention capacity in the Struga Rychnowska catchment, and decreased ground water level in immediate vicinity of former water reservoirs. Currently, a renewed interest in the old locations of water mills is present, in order to restore retention, and use them for the purposes of modern small hydropower plants (SHP).

Relationship between Time Lapse Microgravity Anomaly with Na and Cl Content for prediction of Sea Water Intrusion in Tourism Area Kota Lama Semarang Indonesia

This research is motivated by changes in infrastructure that occur in the old city, the changes in question are the frequent occurrence of flooding in this region. The flooding that occurred was estimated to be caused by subsidence. In addition, subsidence that has other effects, for example seawater intrusion in the Old City, which is located close to the north coast of Java, is also relatively close to about 3 km. The purpose of this study was to find a relationship between seawater intrusion and micro-gravity anomalies between times. The methods carried out are as follows: (1) choose Gravimeter with micro precision. For this study using the Autograv CG5 type, (2) determining the location of the measurement point, which is not expected to experience physical damage due to natural or human behavior for a certain interval, (3) measuring gravity for two different periods in September 2017 and March 2018 at the same point, (4) processing data with initial corrections, namely tidal correction to reduce tidal effects, float correction, and correction of the dynamics of groundwater levels associated with rainfall, and (5) conduct chemical tests of water samples taken from residents’ wells at the Research site. The results showed that the negative time-weight gravity anomaly correlated with an average groundwater level decrease of 15,468 cm. This is in accordance with the fact that during this range rainfall trends tend to decline from September 2017 to March 2018. This decrease in ground water causes maximum subsidence and occurs in the south-southwest 2.3 cm. This zone experiences sea water intrusion which is characterized by the content of Na (60-100%) and Cl (100-160%).

Preliminary Synthesis of Slow Release Fertilizer Material by Using Obsidian Rock

Slow release fertilizer is a new kind of fertilizer in which the release rate of elements from fertilizer can be controlled. The controlling of nutrient component release rate lead to the increasing of fertilizer efficiency, decreasing agricultural cost, and decreasing ground water pollution. Obsidian from West Java, Indonesia is one the mineral that can be used to synthesize slow release fertilizer. By using this method, ordinary fertilizer is placed in the matrix of polymerized obsidian. The release test to the slow release fertilizer material shows that the material exhibits slow release property.

“Water” Use it - Wisely WSN-Irrigation System (WSN-IS) for Smart Home Garden

Background: India is the land of agriculture. Agriculture and gardening is not only done at a huge level but also at small piece of land, it is a backbone of Indian economy. Small gardens are maintained within the boundary of home. Water consumption in agriculture and gardening is at high level. But due to irregular monsoon and decreased ground water level it is hard to irrigate the farm and gardens. We have referred 03 patents which motivated us to revolutionize the agriculture sector. Objectives: Initial stages our scope is limited to home garden and we have proposed a GUI with which end user can get many things such as pH of the soil, conductivity and TDS of the water, temperature and humidity relationship, effect of temperature and humidity on the moisture, soil analysis, moisture holding capacity of the soil etc. Irrigation plays important role in yielding of any plant. In this proposed system, we have proposed a priority driven based irrigation model that supplies optimum and good quality water to the crops with the help of Wireless Sensor Network. Methods: This proposed model is based on sensing the soil moisture, temperature, humidity and other factor which affect the irrigation and supplies the water according to the priority of the requirement to the plant. It is crop independent system, which can be implemented for basic crops, commercials crops, garden and orchards, as basis for this proposed system is important to immediately irrigate the plant wherever soil moisture level will be less. Smart irrigation is the new trend and we can say thirst now a days and it is the major requirement due to many critical factors such as irregularity of monsoon, less availability of water etc. Even though sufficient water is available still we have to make sure whether it is good to use for better yielding of crops. At the same time temperature, humidity, air flow, soil moisture will play important roles in better crop yielding. Wireless sensor network in which ‘n’ no. of issues need to be discussed for the smooth execution of various tasks. Some challenges have been pointed out through this work and important issues which must be considered. Conclusion: final testing shows how this approach is beneficial to the society. In agriculture and gardening now onwards water consumption will be at low level. At the same time this proposed system shows additional advantages to the end user i.e. quality of water utilization in terms of TDS, Conductivity and pH of the water. Similarly, w.r.t. soil, if due to excess utilization of fertilizers and pesticides pH is changing then also same thing will be noticed by avoiding future losses.

PEMILIHAN TEKNOLOGI DAUR ULANG AIR LIMBAH DOMESTIK DI KANTOR BPPT

The increasing variety of industrial activities in Indonesia resulted in ground water reserves in some areas experiencing drought. Exploitation of ground water by industry and the community in some big cities like Jakarta, resulting in the decrease of ground water and ground water quality reduced caused sea water instrusion. While the potential of wastewater produced by industrial and household waste high today. Based on the matters mentioned above and see the use of ground water that will be even greater in the future, then one of alternative that a lot of attention in many countries around the world are using wastewater reuse, particularly urban domestic wastewater (municipal wastewater) as a source of raw water for water supply. BPPT as a government office has made use of wastewater reuse technology, however, when the performance of the appliance is not working properly for it is necessary for re-evaluation and selection of wastewater reuse technology for better and sustainable. Keywords : Wastewater Reuse Technology, Domestic Wastewater, Water Consumption Survey

SINKHOLE SUSCEPTIBILITY ANALYSIS FOR KARAPINAR/KONYA VIA MULTI CRITERIA DECISION

Abstract. Sinkholes are being a natural hazard which threads economic and human life. Sudden occurrence characteristic of sinkholes make it unable to escape. There are a lot of factor that activate sinkholes such as geology, irrigation, land use and human related factors. In Karapınar, Konya, there are over 200 sinkholes and this count is getting increased in recent years. Especially active agricultural lands, decreasing ground water level, extreme irrigation by 55267 water wells increase the risk factor of Karapınar. Nowadays, considering the economic contribution of Karapınar to Turkey economy in the field of agriculture, solar energy fields and thermal reactor which will be planned in next few years, prediction of sinkholes and searching for preventation ways are being more important issue. In this study, sinkhole susceptibility map via AHP was carried out for Karapınar in Konya. Slope, land use, elevation, geology, water wells, distance to roads and settlements criteria are included to determine susceptibility. The weights are calculated with AHP for each criterion and generated susceptibility map is overlapped with existing sinkholes. Suggestions and results are shared for this study.

Irrigation response and water productivity of deficit to fully irrigated spring camelina

Camelina [Camelina sativa L. Crantz] is an oil seed crop that could be adapted to the northern High Plains of the USA as a biofuel crop. Decreased ground water allocations in Nebraska necessitated determining the impact of limited irrigation on camelina. The objective of this research was to determine the effects of a range of irrigation levels on camelina yield, oil content, soil water changes and water productivity. The study was conducted for four growing seasons at two locations in western Nebraska. One site had a sandy soil whereas the other was a silt loam. Camelina was planted in early to mid-April. Cumulative irrigation treatments were 0, 100, 200, and 300mm with the highest rate adjusted to be non-ET limiting. Camelina extracted soil water from 0.9 to 1m depths which was shallower than canola. It showed significant response to irrigation during dry years but no response in above-average precipitation years. A water use efficiency of 7.0kg mm-1 with 125mm ETc required to produce the first unit of seed yield was shown. Camelina seed yield ranged from 428 to 2867kg ha-1 with 187 and 536mm of cumulative ET. In 2007 and 2008 camelina exhibited peak values in water consumed at 9–10 weeks after planting. Deficit irrigation reduced ET and yield plus accelerated maturity in those years. Oil content was increased by irrigation during drier years with no effect with high growing season precipitation. Oil content ranged from 25 to 50% depending on year, irrigation level and disease. Downey mildew significantly reduced oil content during 2009. Deficit irrigated camelina could be an alternative biofuel crop for this region but further genetic improvement would enhance its competiveness with spring canola.

RESPONSE OF STABLE OVERALL SLOPE GEOMETRY OF OPEN PIT COAL MINE IN WARUKIN FORMATION TO DEWATERING AND PEAK GROUND SEISMIC IN SOUTH KALIMANTAN, INDONESIA

Understanding of the response of the mine slope stability is very important regarding the safety of life and investment / productivity / environment, as anticipation of landslide prevention based on the latest research. Mine slope behavior previously discussed widely in terms of the response due to dewatering and seismic (Peak Ground Acceleration) as well through verification. This paper aims to obtain a broad dimension of design criteria that are not only unstable slopes, but the slope is stable under various conditions of the rock mass saturation (dewatering) and seismic condition. Response of slope stability per geotechnical rocks unit from different formations or any engineering formation as a result of environmental influences, for example, the same quake, will be different. This means that the geometry of the same slope in other formation will have different stability conditions (safety factor of the slope) due to the same seismic acceleration. This is also similar due to dewatering. The method used for this study is the deductive-probabilistic method with a hypothetical verification approach. The Standard statistical analysis is used to test the data normality and homogeneity, average and independent differences, as well as regression-correlation test. The research results show that dewatering activitycan decrease ground water level (GWL/MAT) of the slope, so the durability of sliding along the sliding plane is reduced (increasing slope safety factor). At the same time earthquake reduces shear strength and increases driving force, so the safety factor of the slope suddenly downs. Slope stability decreased due to the earthquake, but dewatering improves slope stability. Thus, the slope in dewatering conditions will be kept stable through simulation to anticipate earthquake.

Yield, irrigation response, and water productivity of deficit to fully irrigated spring canola

Canola (Brassica napus) is an oil-seed crop that is adapted to the northern High Plains of the USA and is considered a viable rotational and biofuel crop. However, decreased ground water allocations have necessitated determining the impact of limited irrigation on canola productivity. The objectives of this research were to determine the effects of a range of irrigation from none to fully irrigated on yield, oil content, soil water changes and water productivity of spring canola. The study was conducted for four growing seasons at three locations in western Nebraska. Two sites had sandy soils whereas the other was a silt loam. Glyphosate tolerant canola was planted late March to early April. Cumulative irrigation treatments were 0, 100, 200, and 300mm of water with the highest rate adjusted to be non-ET limiting. Canola extracted soil water from depths greater than 1.2m in both fine textured and sandy soils making it a good alternative for deficit irrigation. Canola responded well to irrigation during dry years but showed little response in above average precipitation years. A water use efficiency of 7.6kgmm−1 with a threshold of 123mm was observed. Canola seed yield ranged from 440 to 3280kgha−1 with 165 and 582mm of cumulative ET. During drier years, canola exhibited peak values in water use at 8–9 weeks after planting. Deficit irrigation reduced ET and yield and hastened maturity during drier years. Oil content was increased by irrigation during drier years with no effect shown when precipitation was above average. Oil content ranged from 30 to 50% depending on year and irrigation level. The water response provided benefits of not only higher yield, but also higher oil content which makes deficit irrigated canola an attractive alternative production and biofuel crop for this region.

A Study on the <em>in-situ</em> Purification Technique of Organic Farming Open-pit Hydrops

The primary objective of this study is to demonstrate the use of the <em>in-situ</em> nanoelectronics purification technique of open pit hydrops for the green mining technology. Open pit mining can result in serious groundwater seeping, while direct drainage of the open pit hydrops may cause pollution of surface water and decrease of ground water, which has a negative influence on the vulnerable ecological environment of Shendong mining area. It is necessary to exploit a hydrops purification technique in open pit that could lead to a positive evolution of the open desert mining area. Based on the climate characteristics and the open pit conditions, the <em>in-situ</em> nanoelectronics purification technique and treatment process of open pit hydrops was presented. The natural oxidation pond has been applied, which had been high-effectively applied into Majiata open pit mine area. It has both theoretical and practical value for the green mining technology with similar conditions.

주 에티오피아 열곡대 내 온천수의 산출특성 및 천열수형 광상의 부존 잠재성

동아프리카 열곡계는 천열수 금-은 광상을 배태하고 있는 것으로 알려져 있으며, 그 대표적인 예로서 에티오피아에 발달된 열곡대는 제 4기 복마그마 화산활동과 관련하여 광화작용이 수반된다. 주 에티오피아 열곡대의 형성과정 동안 발달된 대규모의 지루-지구 구조는 마그마의 관입과 열수유체의 순환을 위한 열린 공간을 제공하였다. 최근 들어, 에티오피아 열곡대 및 다나낄 함몰지 내 천열수형 광화작용이 보고되고 있어, 주 에티오피아 열곡대 내 대규모 열수변질대의 발달(샬라, 랑가노, 알라로베다)과 온천수에 대한 관심이 높아지고 있다. 온천수의 지표산출은 주로 비등천(샬라) 또는 간헐천(알라로베다)의 형태로 이루어지고 있으나, 일부 지역은 지하수면의 하강으로 폭발적인 비등과 분출이 관찰되지 않는다. 온천수의 지표 분출과 관련하여 주변 암석들은 주로 석영, 카올리나이트, 일라이트, 스멕타이트, 녹니석의 광물조합을 갖는 암석으로 변질되어 있다. 온천수는 중성 내지 약한 알카리(pH 7.88~8.83)의 특성을 보이고, 대체적으로 중탄산염 유체로 분류된다. 온천수 내 금과 은 및 기타 수반원소들의 함량은 상당히 낮으나, Se의 함량이 최대 26.7 ppm으로 나타났다. 반면에 온천수 주변 규질 퇴적물들은 Pb(최대 33 ppm, 샬라), Zn(최대 313 ppm, 샬라), Cu(53.1 ppm, 데마에고나), Mn(최대 0.18 wt%, 샬라) 등으로 다소 부화되어 있다. 결론적으로 온천수내 높은 Se 함량과 규질 암석내 Pb, Zn, Cu, Mn 이상 및 최근 천열수형 광화작용의 발견은 주 에티오피아 열곡대내 천열수형 광상의 부존 가능성에 관한 기대를 높인다. The East African Rift System(EARS) is known to be hosted epithermal Au-Ag deposits, and the best-known example is Main Ethiopian Rift Valley(MER) related to Quaternary bimodal volcanism. Large horst-graben system during rifting provides open space for emplacement of bimodal magmas and flow channel of geothermal fluids. In recent, large hydrothermally altered zones(Shala, Langano, and Allalobeda) and hot spring related to deeply circulating geothermal water have been increasing their importance due to new discoveries in MER and Danakil depression. The hot springs in Shala and Allalobeda occur as boiling pool and geyser on the surface, whereas some areas didn't observe them due to decreasing ground water table. The host rocks are altered to quartz, kaolinite, illite, smectite, and chlorite due to interaction with rising geothermal water. The hot springs in MER are neutral to slightly alkaline pH(7.88~8.83) and mostly classified into <TEX>$HCO_3{^-}$</TEX> type geothermal water. They are strongly depleted in Au, and Ag, but show a higher Se concentration of up to 26.7 ppm. In contrast, siliceous altered rocks around hot springs are strongly enriched in Pb(up to 33 ppm, Shala), Zn(up to 313 ppm, Shala), Cu(up to 53.1 ppm, Demaegona), and Mn(up to 0.18 wt%t, Shala). In conclusion, anomalous Se in hot spring water, Pb, Zn, Cu, and Mn in siliceous altered rocks, and new discoveries in MER have been increasing potential for epithermal gold mineralization.

Flow and sediment yield simulations for Bukit Merah Reservoir catchment, Malaysia: a case study

Bukit Merah Reservoir is the main potable and irrigation water source for Kerian District, Perak State, Malaysia. For the past two decades, the reservoir has experienced water stress. Land-use activities have been identified as the contributor of the sedimentation. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was used to simulate and quantify the impacts of land-use change in the reservoir watershed. The SWAT was calibrated and two scenarios were constructed representing projected land use in the year 2015 and hypothetical land use to represent extensive land-use change in the catchment area. The simulation results based on 17 years of rainfall records indicate that average water quantity will not be significantly affected but the ground water storage will decrease and suspended sediment will increase. Ground water decrease and sediment yield increase will exacerbate the Bukit Merah Reservoir operation problem.

India's Women-led Vegetable Cultivation Improves Economic and Environmental Sustainability

India's food security is heavily dependent on irrigation, yet large rural areas of irrigated land are threatened by increasing salinity and decreasing ground water resources. Therefore, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation agreed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 gives importance to sustainable rural development in developing countries. The plan mandates socio-economic development within the carrying capacity of local ecosystems. One way to increase food productivity is to encourage agriculture-based vegetable cultivation often practiced by women farmers. This paper presents data on the role of tribal women-led organic vegetable farming, which improves the livelihoods of women while enhancing environmental sustainability across India's drylands.

Climate change adaptation and sustainable regional development: a case study for the Federal State of Brandenburg, Germany

Located in a relatively dry region and characterized by mainly sandy soils, the German Federal State of Brandenburg (surrounding the capital city of Berlin) is especially vulnerable to climate change impacts (e.g., summer droughts) and cascading effects on ecological systems (e.g., decreasing ground water tables, water stress, fire risk, productivity losses) with socioeconomic implications. Furthermore, a complex interplay of unemployment, rural exodus, and an aging population challenges this structurally weak region. We discuss adaptation measures that are either implemented or planned, as well as research into adaptation strategies to climate change for the sectors forestry, agriculture, and water management as well as in nature conservation in light of socioeconomic and ecological challenges and benefits. In doing so, we adopt a systemic view of Brandenburg where the sectors discussed are seen as subsystems embedded in a larger regional system. This at least partially holarchical approach enables the identification of conflicts between adaptation measures, but also of synergies among the sectors that pertain to successful adaptation to climate change. The insights gained ultimately highlight the need for cross-sectoral, adaptive management practices that jointly target a sustainable regional development.

Simulations of Impacts of Sand and Rock Mining on Florida Coastal Plain Water Resources

Mining sand and rock in low-lying, coastal plain areas forms large, often deep, lakes that can adversely affect local water resources and sensitive environments, particularly wetlands. Ground water flow modeling at a planned mine site in South Florida was used to assess the general hydrologic processes by which such lakes can impact local near-surface ground water levels. The construction of a large lake in an area with a sloping water table may result in a decreased ground water levels (drainage) in the areas up-gradient of the lake and increased water levels in down-gradient areas. Lakes also add storage to the hydrologic system, which can maintain locally higher aquifer water levels, provided that they capture excess surface water that would otherwise be lost. Mining plans can be developed to minimize potential adverse impacts to existing wetlands and to take advantage of down-gradient increases in waters levels for wetland enhancement and mitigation.

Multi-Temporal Land Use/Land Cover Change Detection In Semi Urban Vellore District Using Landsat TM And ETM+ Data

Change detection is the measure of the distinct data framework and thematic change information that can guide to more tangible insights into underlying process involving land cover and land use changes than the information obtained from continuous change. Land use / Land cover analysis of the semi-urban area was carried out using Landsat TM and ETM+ imageries through Remote sensing software for Vellore district in Tamil Nadu, India. This study attempts to explore the changes along the study areas, two sets of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data were used. TM data are useful for this type of study due to its high spatial resolution, spectral resolution and low repetitive acquisition (16 days).This paper discusses the land use/land cover analysis and change detection techniques using temporal multi-spectral data (1991 and 2001) of the LANDSAT TM images, systematically assessed, and checked in field. Initially 18 major classes were observed for both the images. To minimize similar features, relevant classes were reorganized to end up with 8 classes. The overall accuracy for a 1991 image is 78% and for a 2001 image is 80%. The results demonstrate that the study area experienced a rapid, decrease in forest cover, conversion of wetland vegetation to barren / dry farming, rural to urban conversion in town and municipalities resulting in decreasing ground water table in the 10 year period between 1991 and 2001.