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Land Use / Land Cover Mapping of The Sub-Watersheds of North Pennar

River Basin Around Pavagada, Karnataka, India using Remote Sensing
and GIS Techniques
S Srinivasa Vittala*, S Govindaiah**, H Honne Gowda*
*Karnataka State Remote Sensing Applications Centre, Bangalore-560 033, India
**Department of Geology, University of Mysore, Manasagangothri, Mysore-570 006, India

ABSTRACT
The land use / land cover maps were prepared using satellite images of IRS 1C
and 1D LISS III and LISS III and PAN merged data on 1:50,000 scale and
topographic maps were used as reference on the same scale. The different
land use / land cover classes like settlements, crop land, fallow and agricultural
plantations, scrub degraded forest, forest plantation, land with scrub, land
without scrub, prosofis juliflora (Bellary jali), salt affected land, barren rocky /
stony waste / sheet rock area, rivers, streams and tanks were delineated based
on the image characteristics. The cropland may be of either kharif or rabi or
double crop (Kharif + Rabi). The major kharif crop identified was groundnut.
The double cropped areas are found in command areas like major tanks, either
side of stream where deep clay loamy to clayed soil patches found and the
double crops identified in the study area are mainly of paddy, ragi and
groundnut and noticed in almost all sub-watersheds. The agricultural
plantations are mainly of coconut and forest plantations consist of Eucalyptus.
The salt affected lands are confined in the eastern and north-eastern parts of
the study area. The double cropped area and agricultural plantations are mainly
noticed along valleys and tank command areas. Similarly waste lands like stony
waste and scrub lands are found in the uplands and along the fringes of the
forest area.

INTRODUCTION
Land use refers to "man's activities and the various uses which are carried on
land". Land cover refers to, "natural vegetation, water bodies, rock/soil, artificial
cover and others resulting due to land transformations". Proper planning,
management and monitoring of the natural resources depend on the availability
of accurate land use information. Over the years, remote sensing has been
used for land use / land cover mapping of different parts of India (Gautam and
Narayanan, 1983; Sharma et al., 1984; Jain, 1992; Rathore, 1996; Palaniyandi
and Nagarathinam, 1997; Jaiswal et al., 1999; Minakshi et al., 1999;
Bhamabhatt et al., 2000).

STUDY AREA
The study area falls between 13�55' to 14�17' N latitude and 77�05' to
77�25' E longitude forms one of the watersheds of North Pennar river basin
covering an area of 570 sq.km in Pavagada taluk of Tumkur district and a small
portion in Ananthpur district of Andhra Pradesh (Fig. 1). This watershed has
been subdivided into nine sub-watersheds based on IMSD Guidelines (NRSA,
1995) namely Dalavayihalli, Maddalenahalli, Talamaradahalli, Puluvalli tank,
Nagalamadike, Gowdatimmanahalli, Naliganahalli, Devadabetta and Byadanur
which range in area from 49 to 75 sq.km. Geologically, the area forms a part of
the hardrock terrain in Tumkur district and includes two rock types, viz.,
gneisses and granites (GSI, 1981). The gneisses are intruded by a number of
dolerite dykes that demarcate the boundaries of some of the sub-watersheds in
the basin. Granites form a part of northern extension of Closepet granite
batholith, which divides the Dharwar Craton into western and eastern blocks.
These younger granites (2500 my) constitute a well-defined narrow range of
hills, which run in north-south direction and forms western part of the study
area. The climate of the area is semi-arid and is characterized by hot summer
months, low rainfall and pleasant monsoon of winter season. The temperature
varies from 22.6�C to 35.3�C during summer and 16.7�C to 27.3�C during
winter season. The average annual rainfall is 560 mm. The area has sandy
reddish brown soils with thickness varying from 0.50 to 2 m (Reddy and
Rangaswamy, 1989).

DATA USED AND METHODOLOGY

In the present study, the land use / land cover maps were prepared using
satellite images of IRS 1C and 1D LISS III and LISS III and PAN merged data
on 1:50,000 scale in conjunction with collateral data like topographic maps on
the same scale. The detail of the IRS satellite data used in the present study is
given in Table 1. Various land use / land cover classes were delineated based
on the image characteristics like tone, texture, shape, color, association,
background etc. following standard visual interpretation techniques suggested
by Lillesand and Kiefer (2002).During the interpretation, wherever doubtful units
are encountered, ground truth survey was undertaken to verify the same.
Classification of various land use / land cover classes in the present study has
been carried out based on the methodology given in NRIS Node Design and
Standards prepared by NNRMS, 2000.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

There are four main land use / land cover classes like built-up land
(settlements), agricultural land (crop land, fallow and agricultural plantations),
forest (scrub, degraded forest and forest plantation), wastelands (land with
scrub, land without scrub, prosofis juliflora, salt affected land and barren rock /
stony waste) and water bodies (rivers, streams, tank-dry and tank- water
spread) were delineated in the present study. The land use / land cover map
has been prepared for each sub-watershed (Fig. 2) and the sub-watershed
wise area statistics in sq.km for each land use / land cover classes is also
presented in Table 2.

Built-up land (Settlements)

It is defined as an area of human habitation developed due to non-agricultural
use and that which has a cover of buildings, transport, communication, utilities
in association with water, vegetation and vacant lands. This class is observed
in almost all sub-watersheds where Nagalamadike sub-watershed is occupying
large area of built-up lands (1.60 sq.km) including Pavagada town and
minimum of 0.33 sq.km area in Dalavayihalli sub-watershed (Fig. 2, Table 2).

Agricultural land
It is defined as the land primarily used for farming and for production of food,
fiber, and other commercial and horticultural crops. It includes crop land, fallow
and agricultural plantations.

Crop land : It includes those lands with standing crop as on the date of the
satellite imagery. The crops grown either in kharif or rabi or double crop (Kharif
+ Rabi) seasons. The Kharif season satellite imageries (Table 1) were used to
identify the cropland under kharif season. At the time of field validation the
major kharif crop identified was groundnut. This class is extensively found and
occupied in all sub-watersheds where the maximum of 51.35 sq.km is found in
Nagalamadike and minimum of 28 sq.km is found in Byadanur sub-watershed.
Double cropped area have been delineated using both kharif and rabi season
imagery. Most of the double cropped areas are found in command areas like
major tanks, either side of stream where deep clay loamy to clayed soil patches
found. The double crop area consists of mainly of paddy, ragi and groundnut.
This crop is also observed in almost all sub-watersheds. In Gowdatimmanahalli
sub-watershed this crop occupies a large area (10.40 sq.km) whereas in
Nagalamadike sub-watershed it occupies a minimum area of 3.98 sq.km (Fig.
2, Table 2).

Fallow land : It is described as agricultural land, which is taken up for

cultivation but is temporarily allowed to rest, un-cropped for one or more
seasons. These lands are particularly those, which are seen devoid of crops at
the time when the imagery is taken of both seasons. In the present study, this
class is observed in only in Dalavayihalli sub-watershed with an area of 0.40
sq.km and is absent in other sub-watersheds (Fig. 2, Table 2).

Agricultural plantation : It is described as an area under agricultural tree crops

planted adopting certain agricultural management techniques. Agricultural
plantations are identified using summer season data. The agricultural
plantations prominently seen in the study area during ground truth verification
was mostly of coconut plantations. This class is found in only 5 sub-watersheds
of which Gowdatimmanahalli sub-watershed consists of these plantations with
a maximum area of 0.14 sq.km and minimum of 0.05 sq.km in Maddalenahalli
sub-watershed. These plantations are absent in Byadanur, Nagalamadike,
Devadabetta and Talamaradahalli sub-watersheds (Fig. 2, Table 2).
Forest :It is an area (within the notified forest boundary) bearing an association
of pre-dominantly of trees and other vegetation types capable of producing
timber and other forest produce. This class is distributed in north-west, west,
south and south-western parts of study area. The sub-classes under this class
have been identified and described.

Scrub forest : It is described as a forest where the vegetative density is less

than 20% of the canopy cover. It is the result of both biotic and abiotic
influences. Scrub is a stunted tree or bush/ shrub. This class has been
identified in almost all sub-watersheds except in Maddalenahalli sub-
watershed. In Talamaradahalli sub-watershed, this sub-class occupies a
maximum area of 4.99 sq.km and in Devadabetta sub-watershed it occupies a
minimum area of 0.01 sq.km (Fig. 2, Table 2).

Degraded forest : In this sub-class, the vegetative density is still less and
gradually under degraded stage. This is also the result of both biotic and abiotic
influences. This sub-class is observed in 7 sub-watersheds out of which it
covers a maximum area of 0.84 sq.km in Naliganahalli sub-watershed and
minimum area of 0.18 sq.km in 3 sub-watersheds namely Byadanur, Puluvalli
tank and Dalavayihalli sub-watersheds. It is almost absent in Maddalenahalli
and Devadabetta sub-watersheds (Fig. 2, Table 2).

Forest plantation : It is described as an area of trees of species of forestry

importance and raised on notified forestlands. This sub-class consists mainly of
Eucalyptus plantations as observed during field visit. The forest plantation is
found in only 2 sub-watersheds namely Puluvalli tank and Gowdatimmanahalli
sub-watersheds having an area of 0.57 and 0.30 sq.kms respectively (Fig. 2,
Table 2).

WastelandWastelands may be described as degraded land which can be

brought under vegetative cover with reasonable effort and which is currently
under unutilized land. This land is deteriorating due to lack of appropriate water
and soil management or on account of natural causes. Wastelands can result
from inherent/imposed constraints such as by location, environment, chemical
and physical properties of the soil or financial or management constraints. This
class includes salt affected land, land with scrub, land without scrub, stony
waste and prosofis juliflora (locally named as Bellary jali).

Salt affected land : The salt affected land is generally characterized as the
land that has adverse effects on the growth of most plants due to the action or
presence of excess soluble or high exchangeable sodium. These features are
confined in the eastern and north-eastern parts of the study area and observed
in only 4 sub-watershed namely Naliganahalli, Nagalamadike, Maddalenahalli
and Dalavayihalli sub-watersheds where maximum of 0.05 sq.km of the area in
Maddalenahalli and 0.08 sq.km area in Naliganahalli sub-watershed (Fig. 2,
Table 2).

Land with scrub : This sub-class is found usually at relatively higher

topography like uplands or high grounds with scrub. These lands are generally
prone to degradation or erosion. These exclude hilly and mountainous terrain. It
is noticed in all sub-watersheds with an area ranging from 0.05 to 1.62 sq.km.
The maximum area is observed in Nagalamadike sub-watershed while the
minimum area is observed in Devadabetta sub-watershed (Fig. 2, Table 2).

Land without scrub : These features are also found usually at relatively higher
topography like uplands or high grounds without scrub. These lands are
generally prone to degradation or erosion. These exclude hilly and
mountainous terrain. These features are observed only in Puluvalli tank (0.02
sq.km) and Dalavayihalli sub-watersheds (0.11 sq.km) (Fig. 2, Table 2).

Barren rocky / Stony waste / Sheet rock area : Stony waste may be defined
as the rock exposures of varying lithology often barren and devoid of soil cover
and vegetation. They occur amidst forest hills as openings or scattered as
isolated exposures or loose fragments of boulders or as sheet rocks on plateau
and plains, in almost all parts of the study area. Stony wastes have been
observed in all the sub-watersheds varying from 3.64 (Devadabetta sub-
watershed) to 11.90 sq.km (Dalavayihalli sub-watershed) (Fig. 2, Table 2).

Prosofis juliflora (Bellary jali) : These features are abundantly observed

along streams and river courses as bushes and thorns. These features are
found only in 4 sub-watersheds (Fig. 2, Table 2) and vary in area from 0.08
sq.km (Gowdatimmanahalli sub-watershed) to 0.46 sq.km (Puluvalli tank sub-
watershed).

Water bodyWater body is an area of impounded water, aerial in extent and

often with a regulated flow of water. It includes man-made lakes / tanks besides
natural lakes, rivers and streams.

Tanks : Tanks are the natural or man-made enclosed water body with a
regulated flow of water. These features are medium/smaller in aerial extent
when compared to reservoirs with limited use. Based on the observations on
the satellite image in all the three seasons, tanks may be differentiated into
tank (dry) and tank (water spread). Tanks are found in almost all the sub-
watersheds varying in area from 0.15 sq.km to 2.52 sq.km. The largest tank in
the study area is Puluvalli tank near Puluvalli village. There are new tanks have
also been identified in the satellite data in Dalavayihalli and Nagalamadike sub-
watersheds covering an area of 0.27 and 0.02 sq.km respectively (Srinivasa
Vittala et al., 2004).

Streams : These are the natural course of flowing water on the land along
definite channels. It includes from a small stream to a big river and its
branches. These may be perennial or non-perennial. The small streams are
observed only in 6 sub-watersheds in the study area which are finally joining to
the river North Pennar (Fig, 1 & 2, Table 2). A stream has changed its course in
the northern side of Maddalenahalli village as revealed by the satellite imagery.
Field visits to these places confirm the same (Srinivasa Vittala et al., 2004).

CONCLUSION
The land use / land cover maps were prepared using satellite images on
1:50,000 scale and topographic maps were used as reference on the same
scale. The different land use / land cover classes like settlements, crop land,
fallow and agricultural plantations, scrub degraded forest, forest plantation, land
with scrub, land without scrub, prosofis juliflora (Bellary jali), salt affected land,
barren rocky / stony waste / sheet rock area, rivers, streams and tanks were
delineated based on the image characteristics. The cropland may be of either
kharif or rabi or double crop (Kharif + Rabi). The major kharif crop identified
was groundnut. The double cropped areas are found in command areas like
major tanks, either side of stream where deep clay loamy to clayed soil patches
found and the double crops identified in the study area are mainly of paddy,
ragi and groundnut and noticed in almost all sub-watersheds. The agricultural
plantations are mainly of coconut and forest plantations consist of Eucalyptus.
The salt affected lands are confined to the eastern and north-eastern parts of
the study area and observed in only 4 sub-watersheds namely Naliganahalli,
Nagalamadike, Maddalenahalli and Dalavayihalli sub-watersheds. Stony waste
is noticed in almost all parts of the study area. Prosofis juliflora (Bellary jali) are
abundantly observed along streams and river courses. Based on the
observations using satellite image for all the three seasons, tanks have been
differentiated into tank (dry) and tank (water spread). From the land use / land
cover mapping, it can be concluded that the double cropped area and
agricultural plantations are mainly noticed along valleys and tank command
areas. Similarly waste lands like stony waste and scrub lands are found in the
uplands and along the fringes of the forest area.

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Fig. 1 : Location map with sub-watershed overlay and geology.
 Fig. 2 : Land use / land cover map of each sub-watershed

Table 1 : Details of IRS 1C/1D Satellite data used for classification of land
use / land cover mapping.
Table 2 : Sub-watershed wise area statistics (in sq.km) of each land use /
land cover classes.

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