Landuse and Land Cover Change Detection Using Geospatial Techniques for Drought Studies in Chengalpattu District, Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Landuse and Landcover (LULC) practices vary from place to place which has an impact on natural resources such as water, vegetation, and soil. Change detection is useful for identifying the changes that have happened in a particular area by comparing the different periods. GIS and Remote Sensing techniques greatly involve in change detection process which helps in the management of natural resources. An attempt has been made to monitor the changes in land use and land cover pattern in the Chengalpattu District which helps in identifying the condition of drought. The Palar river is one of the major sources of water for the people in the district and the river is almost dry due to human activities. The study was carried out using geospatial techniques such as Remote sensing and GIS by using the Survey of India Toposheet and LANDSAT 8 OLI/TIRS satellite images for the classification of Landuse/Landcover. GIS software was used for the preparation of different thematic maps. The period from 2016 to 2020 was identified as moderate to severe drought conditions according to recent studies carried out in the district even though there was an occurrence of flood in 2015. The change detection process was carried for these six years to identify the major type of land use/land cover change. The results showed the reason for the changes that happened in the recent past. It is important to carefully monitor the changes in landuse and landcover to maintain a sustainable environment for the development of resources.