ShodhPatra: International Journal of Science and Humanities

Changing Land Use Pattern in Bhagwanpur Tahsil (Haridwar District): A Geographical Study

This paper analyses the spatio-temporal dynamics of land use and land cover (LULC) of Bhagwanpur Tahsil, Haridwar District, in terms of remote sensing and GIS in a twenty-year time period (20012021). The analysis is done relying on the Landsat satellite data acquired by United States Geological Survey (USGS) to determine the nature, extent and pattern of land use change. The paper shows that there has been a great way of transformation in the major categories of land use, especially the built-up area has increased significantly signaling about the fast urbanization and the infrastructural growth in the area. Simultaneously, the agricultural land has experienced a commendable decrease indicating the growing demand of non-agricultural activities and alteration of the socio-economic state of affairs. The vegetation cover has also been increasing moderately, largely through the plantation and natural regeneration and the water bodies have not been changing drastically with slight changes. The decreasing number of unused and barren (fallow) land also points to the increased use of land in the course of time. The results indicate the increasing influence of anthropogenic factor on land resources and the necessity of planning land-use systematically, sustainability of development policies, and proper management of available resources. The research gives important geographical information to the policymakers and planners so that land use may be balanced and environmentally sustainable development attained in Bhagwanpur Tahsil.