What is it about?
use of geospatial technology in environment impact assessment.
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Photo by Prasanth Dasari on Unsplash
Why is it important?
The above study shows that coarse resolution satellite datalike Landsat can be successfully used to monitor the urbansprawl of Ranchi city. The study quantifies the urbansprawl at various distances from the city centre. Simulta-neously, changes in vegetation and water were also noted.Initially the urban/built up area was concentrated in thecity centre, which gradually spread both north and southdirections. Mostly land used for urbanization was openspaces in the city and left over lands between adjoiningbuildings. Later, vegetated areas were also converted tobuilt up area. As a result, the city has witnessed increasein traffic congestion, pollution, and loss of the greencover, erratic rainfall and unpleasant weather.In order to achieve sustainability in urban planning,we should develop the open spaces as parks, playgroundsand nurseries. Along roadsides spaces should be sparedfor planting trees which provide shade and purify the pol-luted air. Water bodies should not be encroached for resi-dential purposes. A buffer around them must be left beforeany construction work is undertaken. Water conservationpractices should be encouraged by the government as wellas the public to combat the water crisis in the future.Such data are vital information for city planners andmanagers to curb unplanned urban growth provide properdrainage facility and ensure that the natural resources arenot exploited badly. Incorporating such data in town plan-ning and management would benefit the citizens and fur-ther ensure a sustainable livelihood
Perspectives
It is an eye opener. Missing some details can mislead the analysis done.
Dr Laxmi L Goparaju
Vindhyan Ecology and Natural History Foundation, Mirzapur,India
The availability of remote sensing satellite data at various spatial, temporal and spectral resolutions provides enormous opportunity to map the urban sprawl. When coupled with Geographic Information System (GIS) it is possible to evaluate, analyse and integrate large data. We need to understand and quantify the urban sprawl on spatial and temporal scales which forms a basis for better planning and sustainable management of cities and towns. The city of Ranchi has witnessed unprecedented urban growth after assuming the status of a capital of Jharkhand state, India in 2000. The increasing population has put pressure on the natural resources of the city. The urban growth has been in a haphazard manner at the cost of agricultural lands, forest land and open green spaces such as park, garden and recreational forestry. The present study analysed the urban sprawl in Ranchi city, using Landsat data from 1976, 2002 and 2015. The study revealed that the annual urban growth rate was 1.76 ha/yr over the period from 1976 to 2002 whereas the annual growth rate was 2 ha/yr over the period from 2002 to 2015. The northern side of the city has witnessed more expansion in 2002 when compared with the growth in 1976. Increase in urban density was seen at the distances of 3, 4,5,6,7 and 8km between 1976 and 2015 and the rate was higher than 25%.The driving factors of the development were infrastructure, educational and business expansion. Thus, spatial analyses of urban sprawl are a prerequisite for curbing the unplanned urban growth and ensure sustainable living.
FIROZ AHMAD
World Agroforestry Centre
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Analysis of Urban Sprawl Dynamics Using Geospatial Technology in Ranchi City, Jharkhand, India, Journal of Environmental Geography, June 2016, University of Szeged,
DOI: 10.1515/jengeo-2016-0002.
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