Geomorphologic Change in Nagavali River Basin: Geospatial Approach

The Nagavali river basin (NRB), along east coast of India investigated for its land use and land cover changes (LULCC) in the golden spike period of Anthropocene Epoch. Attempts made to assess the vicissitudes, causes, and consequences of natural resources, and soil/water resources of the NRB in last three decades as significant changes in hydro-climatic variables occurred. The interstate basin is well developed in lower reaches (north Andhra Pradesh) whereas upper stretches, South Odisha is less organized.

GIS and remote sensing are efficient tools for an ideal study of LULCC of the area. Present work evaluates the dynamics of LULCC of NRB. LANDSAT-5, LANDSAT-8, of 1990, 2000, 2010 and 2020, respectively, were digitally classified for land use land cover mapping. The changing aspects of LULCC critically analyzed for three span, 1990–2000, 2000–2010 and 2010–2020. Through Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) of the NRB examined carefully to assess the recent LULCC pattern.

Major changes are sue to exchanges of areas are in between forest and built-up land followed by water body. The transformations are from forest to human habitation; especially built-up area that constitutes major percentage of the total landscape. The study shows that emphasis is necessary on more water consolidation projects in the upper Nagavali Basin considering the long-term LULC trend analysis.