Land use/land cover change detection through remote sensing approach: a case study of south kashmir anantnag district

Land use and land cover is an important component in understanding the interactions ofthe human activities with the environment and thus it is necessary to be able to simulate changes. Empirical observation revealed a change in land use land cover classification in Anantnag district, of Jammu and Kashmir State. In this paper an attempt is made to study the changes in land use and land cover in Anantnag district, over 18 years period (1992-2010). The study has been done through remote sensing approach using SOI toposheets of Anantnag1971. The land use land cover classification was performed based on the Survey of India Anantnag map and Satellite imageries. GIS software is used to prepare the thematic maps. Ground truth observations were also performed to check the accuracy of the classification. The study reveals that the highest change has occurred in the dense forest which is 652.98 Sq. kms in 1992 that is decreased to 579.09 Sq. kms that is 25.08 to 22.23 percent respectively. Agricultural land, Built up area, scrub land and Wasteland also have experienced change. Built-up lands settlement have increased from 1992-2010. Proper land use planning is essential for a sustainable development of Anantnag district.