An Analysis of Land use/Land cover in Kadalundi River Basin using Remote Sensing and GIS Suresh Yasodharan1,*, Bindu K.B.2 1Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, Madras Christian College, Chennai 2Research Scholar, Department of Geography, Kannur University, Kannur *ysdhrnsuresh@gmail.com
Online published on 19 April, 2016. Abstract The present study aims to find out the land use/land cover features of Kadalundi river basin in Kerala. The river with its total length of 130 km. drains over an area of 1122 sq. km. and is characterised by dendritic type of drainage pattern. In order to understand the existing pattern of land use/land cover of any area, remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) techniques provide consistent and accurate base line information than any of the conventional surveys. The existing land use pattern is derived from high resolution IRS-P6-LISS IV pan merged satellite imagery of 1: 50000 scale. The ERDAS and Arc GIS softwares were utilized to demarcate and analyse the land use/land cover features of Kadalundi river basin. The land use/land cover exhibits the physical and economical situation of any region, determines the living standard of people and natural resources found in a region. The thematic mapping of the land use/land cover consists of built-up land, agriculture land, water bodies, forest and waste land were prepared by using the satellite imagery. The study highlights that the highlands are mostly covered by reserve forests with patches of tea estates in the higher reaches and coffee estates in the lower reaches. In the elevations between 75 m and 45 m above mean sea level, coconut, rubber and pepper are grown. Paddy and arecanut are grown in the valleys. The river estuary is found near the mouth of river and patches of settlement are traced closed to it. The present study gives a detailed account of the existing land use in Kadalundi river basin and it signifies its importance in proper land use planning for sustainable river basin management. Top Keywords Land use, Land cover, Kadalundi River Basin, Remote Sensing, GIS. Top |