Mapping land use/cover using remote sensing and GIS techniques: A case study of rahat micro watershed of Nagpur district, India

Abstract

Land use/land cover (LULC) information is essential for the selection, planning and implementation of management strategies to meet the increasing demands for basic human needs and welfare of the ever growing population. This paper illustrates the status of land use/land cover in the Rahat micro-watershed of Nagpur district of Maharashtra was carried out during the year 2010-11 using an integrated approach of remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS). Mapping land use/cover in IRS-P6 LISS-IV data and SOI toposheet (1:50,000 scale) were used for Land Use/Land Cover Mapping of soils. The inventory data of land resources were evaluated using GIS and thematic maps were prepared. The land use/land cover classes identified are single crop, double crop, wasteland, forest and habitation. The study indicates that 80.90 per cent area of the watershed is under cultivation. The habitation exhibits light blue with coarse texture on the satellite data and covers an area of 1.86 ha representing 0.51 per cent of total area of watershed. The double crop land occupies an area of 125.77 ha representing about 34.6 per cent of the total geographic area (TGA) of the watershed. The single crop land occupies an area of 168.02ha representing about 46.3 per cent of the total geographic area (TGA) of the watershed.