0782-B1

Study on Land Use/ Land Cover Evolution in Southern Part of Haryana, India Using Remote Sensing and GIS

B. S. Chaudhary ¹ and A. K. Sinha ²

Abstract

In today's dynamic situation, accurate, meaningful and current data on land use is essential for sound and feasible planning for natural resources for sustained use. Latest and up to date information on land use land cover is essential for this. The study of evolution of land use/ land cover is essential for studying the nature of changes. Total area under study is 549.58 sq kms and lies in the southern part of Haryana. The land use/ land cover study of the area has been carried out for 1996-1997 using IRS 1B LISS-II data. The base information has been generated from SOI topographic sheets (1972-73). Eight major land use categories have been interpreted from the SOI toposheets. The evolution of present land use has been discussed in the light of present scenario; changes in the land use pattern are monitored and suggestions are made for better land use planning.

1.0 Introduction

Since the beginning of the 19th century, vast portions of the earth's surface have been modified, whole ecosystem destroyed and global biomes altered or vanished. North American and European native forests have largely vanished; the grasslands of interior United States, Canada and Ukraine, have been converted in to farmland. Marshes and wetlands have been drained. Steppe lands have become deserts and deserts have blossomed under irrigation (Fellmann et al 1985).

In India, total area under cropland in 1985-87 was 169 Million hectares (Mha) with the density of population about 2,811 per 1000 ha. Forest and woodland consisted of 121.4 Mha whereas land under permanent pasture category was about 11.8 m ha. Total area under other uses was about 26.7 m ha (World Resources, 1990-91). The cultivable area of the country is estimated to be 186 m ha. Cultivated area at the end of 1993-94 was about 142 m ha. Indications are that because of pressure on land due to increasing population, it may not be possible to increase the cultivated land and it will be stabilized at 140-145 m ha.

The information about the present land use and land cover is necessary to know about its sustainability. In water scarcity areas, crops requiring less water should be grown and the new methods of irrigations such as drip or sprinkler must be attempted to optimally utilize ground water resources and at the same time not affecting the yield of the crops. Conventional methods used to generate information on land use/ land cover are not only time consuming, tedious, costly and labour intensive but also impractical for monitoring dynamic changes over shorter periods, due to subjectivity and time constraint. Satellite data with synoptic view, repetitive coverage and multispectral viewing has brought very positive changes in the land use/ land cover study. The applications of remote sensing techniques are well established in this field (Anderson, 1971; Anderson et al 1971; Toleti, 1995; Sinha et al 1989 Clevers et al 1999, Chaudhary, 1999).

2.0 Brief Description of Study Area

Study area comprises of Nangal Chaudhary and Narnaul blocks of Mahendergarh district, southern part of Haryana, with a total geographical area of about 549.58 sq. kms. It extends from 27⁰ 46' north to 28⁰12' north latitudes and 75⁰ 55' east to 76⁰ 15' east longitudes. Physiographically the study area consists of fluvio-aeolian plain, aeolian plain, flood plain, sand dunes, pediment zone and Aravalli hills. Rocky outcrops traverse roughly in southwest northeast direction. The hills are longer than wide forming roughly parallel series of ridges. Dohan and Krishnawati are the only non-perennial streams/ rivers flowing in the area.

Geologically the study area is a part of Indo-Gangetic system of quaternary age, which rests on the basement rocks of Delhi system. The area contains small exposures at various places in the form of hillocks. There are only two major geologic units present in the area: alluvium with wind blown sand and hills formed of quartzite, shale, slate and schist with granites, aplites & quartz veins as intrusive. The soils of the area falls into two major soil orders i.e. Antisols and Inceptisols. In Antisols order, the soils are very young and no profile development was observed whereas in case of Inceptisols some changes in the profile were observed. In Nangal Chaudhary area the soils are heavier in texture, having more clay content and moisture retention capacity.

The climate, except during the monsoon is characterized by the dryness of air, a hot summer and cold winter. About 75% of annual rainfall is received during the southwest monsoon months i.e. July to September. Temperature begins to rise from March to June and June is the hottest month. Maximum temperature may go up to 47°C. January is the coldest month with daily mean temperature 11°C.

3.0 Methodology

Indian Remote Sensing Satellite, IRS - 1B LISS II FCC Geo-coded Products, paper prints of 16th October 1996 and 12th January 1997 on 1: 50, 000 scale comprising of path 30 and row 48 for land use/ land cover mapping have been used. First various details were transferred to the base map from the October satellite data by employing visual interpretation techniques. Various image interpretation elements have been taken in to consideration to identify various land use/ land cover categories. Then this was overlaid on the January scene and the areas such as double crop, Rabi only, Kharif only, fallow, wastelands etc have been demarcated. Thus pre-field map was generated. This map was taken to the field and doubtful areas. Corrections were made in the pre-field maps, based on various field observations. Hence final land use/ land cover map was prepared. Similarly major land use/ land cover categories were interpreted from 1972-72 SOI toposheets. These maps were digitised and overlaid in Arc/ Info GIS to observe the changes in the land use pattern.

4.0 Results & Discussion

The classification system used in the present study is the modified version of Anderson et al (1976) and covers up to level III. The area under various land use land cover units as interpreted from IRS 1B LISS II FCC of October 1996 and January 1997 is given in Table-1. These are described below:

4.1 Land Use/ land Cover Classes (1996 - 1997)

4.1.1 Built-up Land

It is defined as an area under human habitation developed due to non-agricultural use and that which has a cover of buildings, transport, communication, utilities in association with water, vegetation and vacant lands. It has further been divided in to city/ towns and Villages. Total are under Built-up land category is 23.39 sq kms which constitutes 3.61% of the total area.

Table 1: Area of various units (1996-1997)

4.1.2 Agricultural Land

It is defined as the land primarily used for farming and for production of food, fiber, and other commercial and horticultural crops. It includes land under crops (irrigated and un-irrigated), fallow land, plantations etc.

Crop Land

It includes those lands with standing crop as on the date of the satellite imagery. The crops may be of either Kharif or Rabi or Kharif + Rabi seasons. The area under Rabi, Kharif as well as double crops is given in Table-1.

Rabi: These include agricultural crops, which are harvested between March and April. In the area Rabi crops are mainly mustard, wheat and Bengal gram. Total area under Rabi crops is 78.46 sq kms, which is 12 % of the total area.

Kharif: It includes agriculture crops harvested between June and October. The major crops grown are Jowar and Bajra under food grain & fodder crops and cotton as commercial crops at selected places. Guar & vegetables are also grown at some places. In the absence of canal irrigation, farmers are solely dependent on monsoon. In the areas where the ground water quality is marginal the farmers keep lands fallow during kharif and take only rabi crop by irrigating it with marginal saline water. 6.4% of the total area is under Kharif crop.

Double Crop: These are the areas where both rabi and kharif crops are grown. 55.41% area is under this category. This shows that about 45% of the area is under other uses. With canal irrigation, more area can be brought under cultivation. This will increase agricultural production and also economic well being of the farmers.

Fallow Land: It is the agricultural land, which is temporarily allowed to rest uncropped for one or more seasons. These lands are seen devoid of crops at the time when image is taken. It is found amidst agricultural cropland. Total are under this category is 4.35%. It is found scattered all over the area in small patches. The reason of the land being kept fallow is either poor quality of water or for the natural nourishment of the soil.

Plantations: It is described as an area under agricultural tree crops, planted adopting certain agricultural management techniques. It includes citrus, orchards and other horticultural nurseries. Total area under this category is 10.12 sq kms. This category is found at many places in the northern portion of the study area.

4.1.3 Wastelands

Degraded Pasture/ Grazing Land

It is an area of land covered with natural grass along with other vegetation used to feed cattle and other animals. Such lands are mostly found around villages on panchayat lands and may be called as permanent pastures. Total area under this category is about 1.8%.

Upland with or without Scrub

These occupy relatively higher topography like uplands or high grounds with or without scrub. These lands are generally prone to degradation or erosion. These occur on terrain with varying lithology. Total area under this category is 9.1%. It is mostly found in hill surroundings. The deposition of aeolian sand has given rise to this type of land use.

Barren Rocky/Stony Waste

These are the rock exposures of varying lithology often barren and devoid of soil cover and vegetation. They occur amidst hill forests as openings or scattered as isolated exposures or loose fragments of boulders or as sheet rocks. Most of the hills in the area are barren. Inselbergs are also found at selected places. These are completely devoid of vegetation. These occupy 4% of the area.

4.1.4 Water Bodies

It is an area of impounded water, areal in extent and often with a regulated flow of water. It includes man-made reservoirs/ lakes/ tanks/ canals besides natural lakes, rivers/ streams etc.

River/ Stream

There are only two non-perennial rivers Dohan and Krishnawati in the study area rest area only small ephemeral streams. Mostly these remains dry. Total area under this category is 1.5%.

Ponds / Reservoirs

It is a natural or man-made enclosed water body. Ponds are mostly found in the villages. The village ponds appear black in colour and as small dots. These are not really mapable units on 1: 50, 000 scale. Total area under this category is only 0.19%.

4.2 Land Use/ Land Cover (1972-1973)

To monitor the changes in the land use/ land cover, Survey of India (SOI) toposheets of the year 1972-1973 have been used. Eight major categories have been identified: cities/ towns, villages, crop land, degraded pasture/ grazing land, scrub land, Rocky/ stony waste, Rivers/ streams and water bodies. The area under various units is given in Table 2.

Table 2: Area under Classes (1972-1973)

5.0 Evolution of Present Land Use

The changes in the land use/ land cover are given below in Table 3.

Table 3: Change in Land Use/ Lands Cover (1972-1973 to 1996-97)

Area under settlements was only 14.86 sq kms in 1972-73 whereas it has increased to 23.39 sq kms in 1996-97. This shows an increase of about 57%. This is due to the increasing demand for shelter due to population growth. The area under Crops is reduced by about 9%, the reason for this may be attributed to the presence of fallow land/ plantations in 1996-1997. The area under degraded pasture/ grazing land was 14.85 sq kms in 1972-73, which is reduced to 11.67 sq kms. This 21% reduction may be attributed due expansion of villages/ towns, as this is mostly associated with settlements. Total area under Upland with or without Scrub was 63.51 sq kms in 1972-73 but reduced to 58.13 sq kms in 1996-1997. It is a reduction of about 8%. While interpreting the SOI toposheets, it was observed that most of the hills were under scrubland but due to passage of time and reduction in the rainfall coupled with other activities, the hills became barren. So the decrease in this category may be attributed to increase in the barren rocky/ stony waste category. There is marginal reduction in the area under river/ streams category. This is so because dry river course is either brought under plantation or at places under cultivation. There is significant reduction in the area under water bodies. The main reason behind this seems to be the drying up of the water bodies with the passage of time either due to siltation or less rainfall. Most of these areas are now being cultivated.

6.0 Suggestions

Afforestation program should be taken up in undulating upland with or without scrub and hilly areas. The plant species recommended for afforestation and gap filling are Acacia nilotica (Babool), Acacia senegal (Kumut / Khairi), Anogeissus pendula (Dhak / Dhoy), Acacia leucophloea (Safed / Ronj), Albizia lebbeck (Siris), Azardirachta indica (Neem), Ailanthus excelesa (Ulloo Neem), Boswellia serrata (Saler), Prosopis juliflora (Kabuli Keekar), Commiphora wightii (Googal), Balanites roxburghii (Hingota) etc. The masses should be properly educated and NGO's should be involved.

Silvipasture is one of the alternative land use system available for improving the fodder resources of the area. To make the area ecologically sustainable and reduce the pressure on forest, silvipasture near the villages on degraded pasture/ grazing land should be adopted. Recommended perennial grass species are: Cenchrus ciliaris (Anhan), C. Setiggerus (dhaman), Panicum antidole (Blue panic) etc. These thrive well in different soils. Lasirus sinidicus grows well in sandy soils of arid regions and can withstand temperatures up to 48^o C. Some of the perennial legume species recommended are: Atylosia scarabaeides (Bankulthi), Macroptilium atropurpurem (Siratro) etc. Other trees/ shrubs recommended are: Prosopis vinrtstis (Kheri), Acacia nilotica (Babool), Acacia albida (African babool), Acacia Senegal (Kumut), Zizyphus numularia (Jharber) and Dichrostachys natans (Vurtuli).

7.0 Conclusions

Authors conclude that the changes in the land use/ land cover in the study area are detrimental to the eco-environmental manegement of the area. Thew activities suggested by the authors will help in better man ecological balance in the area. It is also concluded that remote sensing & GIS are powerful tool for studying and managing land use/ land cover changes in a better and times efficient manner in comparison to the conventional tools.

References

1. Anderson James R. (1971) "Land use classification schemes used in selected recent geographic applications of remote sensing" Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing (PE & RS), Vol. 37, no. 4, PP. 379-387.

2. Anderson James R., Hardy Earnest, E. Roach John T. and Witmore Richard E. (1976) " A Land use and land cover classification system for use with remote sensor data". Geological Survey Professional Paper no. 964, US Govt. Printing office, Washington. PP. 1-28.

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4. Clevers J.G.P.W., Muecher C.A., Popov, V. P. Vandysheva N.M. and Vassilenko G.I. (1999) "agriculture land cover monitoring over Russia Using Remote Sensing". Proc. 18^th EARSeL Symp. ITC, Enschede, the Netherlands, A. A. Balkema, Publishers Rotterdam. PP. 81-88.

5. Fellmann J., Getis A. and Getis J. (1985) Human Geography- Landscapes of human activities. Wm. C. Brown Publishers PP. 461.

6. Marschener F. J. (1950) "Major land uses in the United States (map scale 1:5,000, 000)" USDA, Agriculture Research Service.

7. Toleti B.V.M.Rao (1995). "A study on impact of coal mining on land use and land cover in Jharia coalfield (Dhanbad) India through remote sensing techniques" Ph.D. thesis, Indian School of Mines, Dhanbad, India.

8. World Resources 1990-91, A guide to the Global Environment, Oxford university press, 1990. PP 268-270.

¹ Scientist, Haryana State Remote Sensing Application Centre,
(HARSAC), CCS HAU Campus, Hisar 125 004, Haryana, India
Email: [email protected]
² Professor, Environmental Geology lab,
Department of Geology, University of Rajasthan,
Jaipur, India
Email: [email protected]