International Journal of Environment, Ecology,

Family and Urban Studies (IJEEFUS)

ISSN(P): 2250-0065; ISSN(E): 2321-0109
Vol. 5, Issue 6, Dec 2015, 1-8
TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.

COMPARATIVE DETECTION OF LAND USE AND LAND COVER

CHANGE IN LUDHIANA DISTRICT, PUNJAB, INDIA:
USING REMOTE SENSING AND GIS TOOLS
SHAKHA SHARDA1, MADHURI RISHI2, KARANJOT KAUR BRAR3 & GURMEET KAUR4
1,2

Department of Environment Studies, Punjab University, Chandigarh, India

3,4

Department of Geology, Punjab University, Chandigarh, India

ABSTRACT
Studies on land use aspects of ecosystem play an important role in identifying major problems and to take
suitable action to maintain Ecological equilibrium in the region. The main objective of this study is to provide a
baseline status of the study area so that present land use pattern and temporal changes occurred, on the surroundings
can be evaluated. Comparative land use pattern and land cover classes of Ludhiana district, Punjab, India for the years

in the due course of time using Remote Sensing and GIS tools. The LANDSAT imageries of three years were studied
with a purpose to know the status of land use and land cover changes in the study area. Land use and land cover classes
along with the changes under different categories were identified from the satellite imageries. It was found that green
cover and agricultural land were decreasing at an alarming rate and land was turning to barren land.
KEYWORDS: Ecological Equilibrium, Land Use, Land Cover, Natural Vegetation, Remote Sensing and GIS

Original Article

1991, 2003 and 2014 were studied which indicated that the area under all land use and land cover classes has changed

Received: Oct 01; Accepted: Oct 17; Published: Oct 22; Paper Id: IJEEFUSDEC20151

INTRODUCTION
The land cover reflects the biophysical state of the earths surface and immediate subsurface, thus
including the soil material, vegetation, and water (Prakasam, 2010). It is the physical and biological material found
on the earths surface weather it is natural or manmade, (Environmental Literacy Council, 2008). Land us is
generally relates to the human activities associated with the specific piece of land and land cover is the physical
material at the surface of the earth. (Lilles and Kiefer, 2008). Land carries an ecosystem which is under the
application of human control, in a fairly systematic manner, in order to derive benefits from it. Land Use and Land
Cover (LULC) mark a significant impact on the environment of the area (Jerzy, 1983). The conversion of
agricultural land to non-agricultural uses is almost foreseeable and irreversible. Campbell (1987) defined the land
cover as the vegetation (natural or planted) and human constructions that is found on the earths surface.
Land change puts a significant impact of the environment of the any area (Kostrowicki, 1983). So, wide-ranging
information on the spatial distribution of land use pattern and their change is prerequisite for planning, utilization
and management of the land resources. Such information, therefore, permits a better understanding of the land
utilization aspects such as cropping pattern, grazing lands, forest land, waste lands, built up land surface water
bodies, settlements and communication network, which are vital for overall developmental planning (Brar, 2013).

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Shakha Sharda, Madhuri Rishi, Karanjot Kaur Brar & Gurmeet Kaur

Such an analysis shall act as input for studying sustainable agriculture.

LULC is the primary transformer of the landscape, which leads to the significant impact on socioeconomic,
biological, climatic, and hydrologic systems (Sohl and Sohl, 2012). Remote sensing data is widely used to provide a costeffective means to develop land change coverage over large geographic regions (Lunetta et al, 2006). Remote sensing
techniques are applied by several scholars for land change detection (Campbell et al, 2003), (Deszo et al, 2004),
(Fan et al, 2007) and (Panahi et al, 2010).

LOCATION OF THE STUDY AREA

Geographically, Ludhiana district lies between North Latitude 300-34' and 310-01' and East longitude 750-18' and
760-20'. It is the most centrally located district of Punjab. Ludhiana is the first metropolitan city, popularly known as
Manchester of India. The district constitutes a typical alluvial plain. It owes its origin to the augmentation of the Sutlej
River. The alluvium deposited by the river was reworked by aeolian activities to give rise to a number of small dunes and
sand mounds. The District can be divided into the flood plains of the Sutlej and the upland plains. Figure 1 shows the
location of the study area.

Figure 1: Location of the Study Area

LAND-USE PATTERN OF THE STUDY AREA

Land in the district is utilized for agriculture, water resources, forests, living spaces, industrial and commercial
purposes, transportation network, pastures and like. The Ludhiana district has experienced rapid urban population growth
in recent decades and this rapid urbanization has led to the transformation of rural areas into developed areas. Moreover,
the considerable growth observed in the population of Ludhiana is thought to have occurred in response to large-scale
ruralurban migration, which has contributed, significantly to the increased rate of urbanization with exploitation of
resources, and the mismanagement of limited land resources. Major effect of increase in urbanization and agricultural
activities is seen on water and soil resources which are getting depleted due to over extraction of groundwater resources for
extensive irrigation in the district which has brought its five blocks namely Ludhiana I, Ludhiana II, Samrala, Khanna and
Doraha under over exploited category where no more groundwater exploitation is possible (Sharda et al., 2015). Moreover,
excessive use of fertilizers in the agricultural fields and discharge of untreated effluents by industries into the river bodies
and on land have resulted in the degradation of water quality in the district. Increasing population in developing cities has
Impact Factor (JCC): 3.0965

NAAS Rating: 3.63

Comparative Detection of Land Use and Land Cover Change in Ludhiana

District, Punjab, India: Using Remote Sensing and GIS Tools

caused rapid changes in LULC and increased environmental degradation (Holdgate, 1993). The conversion of rural areas
into urban areas through development is currently occurring at an unprecedented fast rate in recent human history and is
having a striking effect on the natural functioning of ecosystems (Turner and Meyer 1994). There is always a need to
develop a classification scheme for the whole area and divide all the features into different classes according to our
constraint, for the better understanding of the land-use and land cover change of the area and make our work more useful
and authentic (Anderson et al., 1976). The effect of population is particularly relevant to the change in land use pattern as it
is estimated that the global urban population is projected to almost double by 2050 (FAO, 2009).

LAND US AND LAND COVER CLASSES

National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA) in 1995 developed the classification scheme which was used for
identifying the five land use and land cover classes in the study area as follows:

Agriculture

Forest

Settlements

Barren Land

Water Bodies
The developmental blocks of the study were identified under these categories from the satellite imageries: Landsat

TM, 1991, 2003 and Landsat ETM+, 2014 (Figures 2a-c). Blocks under these classes are further verified by field checks.
The detail of area under each category is shown below in Table 1 and Figure 3. On the basis of analysis of the area for the
years 1991, 2003 and 2014, several changes were found in every land use and land cover of the study area.
Table 1: Changes in Land Use and Land Cover in Ludhiana District (1991-2014)
S.No.

Land Use and

Land Cover
Classes

1991
(Km2)
(1)

2003
(Km2)
(2)

Agriculture

1576.12

1501.37

Forests

125.28

147.07

Barren lands

45.22

55.04

Settlements

184.80

229.81

Water bodies

19.73

17.92

1951.15

1951.21

Total

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Changes
(Km2) /
% (1-2)
-74.75
(4.74%)
21.79
(17.39%)
9.82
(21.71%)
45.01
(24.35%)
-1.81
(9.17%)

2014
(Km2)
(3)
1382.57
138.82
58.61
345.79
25.43

Changes
(Km2)
(2-3)
-118.8
(7.91%)
-8.25
(5.60%)
3.57
(6.48%)
115.98
(50.46%)
7.51
(41.90%)

Changes
(Km2)
(1-3)
-193.55
(12.28%)
13.54
(10.80%)
13.39
(29.61%)
160.99
(87.11%)
5.7
(28.89%)

1951.22

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Shakha Sharda, Madhuri Rishi, Karanjot Kaur Brar & Gurmeet Kaur

Figure 2 a: Land Use and Land Cover of Study Area in 1991

Figure 2b: Land Use and Land Cover of Study Area in 2003

Figure 2 c: Land use and Land Cover of study area in 2014

Impact Factor (JCC): 3.0965

NAAS Rating: 3.63

Comparative Detection of Land Use and Land Cover Change in Ludhiana

District, Punjab, India: Using Remote Sensing and GIS Tools

Figure 3: Changes in Land Use and Land Cover During the

Year (1991, 2003 and 2014) of the Study Area

CHANGES OBSERVED IN LAND USE PATTERN

Decrease in Agricultural Land (Fields)
Degradation of agricultural land is an implication of water logging and soil salinization. Agriculture land has
decreased from 1576.12 km2 to 1501.37 km2 from the years 1991 to 2003, but again decreased from 1501.37 km2 to
1382.57 km2 from the years 2003 to 2014 due to increase in human settlements. (Table 1 and Figure 3)
Increase in Forest Area
Forest ecosystems have important functions from an ecological perspective and provide services that are essential
to maintain the life-support system on a local and global scale (Rao and Pant, 2001). The significant change found in the
study area was the increase in land under forest cover. Most of the dense vegetation that is referred as closed forest was
gaining its extent. Total forest cover of the study area has increased from 125.28 km2 in 1991 to 147.07 km2 in 2003.
But increase in population and human settlements by clearing the forest cover, the area show slight decrease from 147.07
km2 to 138.82 km2 in 2014 (Table 1 and Figure 3).
Increase in Barren Land
Ecosystem disturbance caused due to poor quality groundwater, soil salinization, water logging is accompanied by
an extensive damage and loss to the land pattern which ultimately affects the surrounding vegetation and thereby induces
erosion of soil at a greater scale. (Ranjana et al., 2014). Barren land/ wasteland consisting of gullied, barren rock, land with
scrub and land without scrub for present study has been calculated which indicates tremendous increase from 45.22 km2 in
1991 to 55.04 km2 in 2003 and again increased to 58.61 km2 in 2014. Quality of soil has deteriorated and these lands got
converted into barren lands (Table 1 and Figure 3).
Increases in Human Settlements
There is an increase in the human settlements from the year 1991 i.e. 184.80 km2 rose to 229.81 km2 in 2003 and
again rose to 345.79 km2 in 2014 indicating urbanization and change in land use of the agricultural and forest lands
(Table 1 and Figure 3).

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Shakha Sharda, Madhuri Rishi, Karanjot Kaur Brar & Gurmeet Kaur

Increase in Water Bodies

Water bodies consisting of streams, nallas, wetlands, reservoirs and ponds, which were spread over 19.73 km2 of
area during 1991, has decreased to 17.92 km2 during 2003 and again increased to 25.43 km2 during 2014. These are the
major sources of drinking and irrigation in the area (Table 1 and Figure 3).
On the basis of present study it can be concluded that there are several changes recognized in the study area and
these changes are occurring at a rapid rate. The main changes in study area are observed under agricultural land which
decreased during 1991 to 2014 and in forest land which increased during 1991 to 2003 but again decreased in 2014.
The barren land and settlements increased at an alarming rate during 1991 to 2014. Likewise, several other changes like
increase in water bodies were noticeable.

CONCLUSIONS
The results obtained from remote sensing and GIS techniques were compared with the ground reality and they
were found in coherence with each other. The results were found near to the reality. Remote Sensing is very useful for the
view of the study area. Different time period satellite imageries (1991, 2003 and 2014) were very useful for the detection
of changes, which are taking place in short time period of over two decades. The study on land use and land cover changes
using remote sensing and GIS techniques, in the study area showed that the green cover was decreasing at an alarming rate.
Most of the land which were under green cover and agricultural land in 1991 has turned either barren or has been occupied
by humans in 2014 indicating trend of decreasing natural vegetation in the area under investigation. The cause of this may
be attributed to the degradation of soil and water quality in the area. Also there was increase in water bodies in this period
like major sources for drinking and irrigation especially to cater to the needs of ever increasing population.
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