S. Balaselvakumar
Research Scholar, Department of Geography,
Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli – 620 024.
K. Kumaraswamy
Reader, Department of Geography,
Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirappalli – 620 024
S. Srileka
Project Associate, Department of Futurology,
Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai
N. Jawahar Raj
Lecturer, Department of Geology
National College, Tiruchirappalli – 620 001
Introduction
The unparalleled increase in population growth has resulted in the increasing demands for food, fodder and shelter resources. This calls for rational utilization of the available land and hence the study of its characteristics is crucial in formulating the management and development plans.
The conventional methods for the study of land use involves extensive field study which is time consuming and cumbersome. Land use changes are equipped due to the natural and human activities, it can be observed using current and archived through remotely sensed data (Luong, 1993). The information on land use / land cover patterns, their spatial distribution and changes over a time scale are perquisite for making development plans (Dhinw et al, 1992). Remote sensing, the latest advancement in space technology has the capabilities to overcome the shortcomings of the conventional methods. It makes a major technological breakthrough in the method acquiring information on land resources, agriculture, forestry, ocean resources and other studies. In the present study described the various land use / land cover categories.
Study Area
The study area, which is a sub-basin of Vaippar, is located in the southern part of Tamil Nadu. It is bounded by Gundar basin on the north and other sub-basins of Vaippar on the south. The Western Ghats and Vaduvarpatti odai basin forms the western and eastern boundaries of the study area. It extends from 9ห20สน to 9ห45สน North latitude and 77ห25สน to 78ห05สน East longitude (Fig. 1). It covers an area of 1687 sq.km. The average annual rainfall of the basin ranges from 700 to 950mm. Most part of the study area is a plain region. The hilly areas are found confined along the western and the northern most fringes of the area and hence, the high relief areas.
The study area is almost extremely covered by metamorphic rocks, which includes different gneieiss, charnockite, limestone and pink granite. The red sandy loam type of soil is found some of the areas, particularly in the central and northern parts of the basin; other soil of skeletal, red sandy, black, alluvial soil area noted in the basin.
Database
The following data products have been utilized for the present study
- Survey of India (SOI) topographic maps (58G/6,10,14,58k/2 and 3 on 1:50,000 scale
- IRS – IB – LISS – II Geocoded data of 1:50,000 scale of February 1993 and Land sat 5 TM data of 1:50,000 scale of August 1993
