Dynamics of Land Use/Land Cover Changes in Ballia District, Using Landsat TM Data

Abstract

The land use/land cover is an important component to understand the human intervention with the environment. The land use/land cover pattern is an outcome of natural and socio-economic factors and their utilization by man in time and space. Land is becoming a scarce resource due to immense agricultural and demographic pressure. Hence, information on land use/land cover (LU/LC) and possibilities for their optimal use is essential for the selection, planning and implementation of land use schemes to meet the increasing demands for basic human needs, basically housing. Land which is one of the basic and finite resources for human existence is deteriorating with the rapid growth of population. The main objective of this study is to assess the LU/LC in 1971 and 2009 and to identify the locations, types, and trends of the main land use changes in the last 40 years in the eastern-most district, Ballia in Uttar Pradesh. Two sets of data, i.e., SOI toposheet (1971) and Landsat TM imagery (2009), with a time span of forty years were used for the study. Visual interpretation technique is employed to classify the toposheet/image into four classes, i.e., built-up land, agricultural land, wastelands, and water bodies. Ground truth observations were carried out for accuracy assessment. The study shows that the agricultural land that occupied about 85% of the total area of the district in 1971 has decreased to about 3% in 2009. Built-up lands have increased by about 2 to 5% of the total area. Proper land use planning is essential for a sustainable development of Ballia district.