Change Detection Analysis of Land Use/Land Cover in Aligarh District Using RS and GIS Techniques

Land is becoming a scarce resource due to immense agricultural and demographic pressure. Hence, information on land use/land cover and possibilities for their optimal use is essential for the selection, planning and implementation of land use schemes to meet the increasing demands for basic human needs and welfare. In this paper an attempt has been made to analysis of land use/land cover change in Aligarh district using geospatial technologies. Landsat 5 imageries of 1996 and 2011 have been used for analysis of land use/land cover. Supervised classification has been performed to delineate the seven classes, i.e. built-up land, agricultural land, fallow land, tree plantation, water bodies, wet lands and sandy area. The study of fifteen years shows that there have been tremendous changes in classes of land use/land cover. The built-up land has recorded a tremendous increase during these fifteen years from 2.59 percent in 1996 to 6.85 percent in 2011. The agricultural land also recorded positive changes whereas other classes registered negative growth in study region. This can be attributed to the sporadic growth of population and resulting expansion of agricultural activities.