Anthropogenic impact on Landuse/Landcover in Dudhganga Watershed of Kashmir Valley, India

Land use and land cover is an important component in understanding the interactions of the human activities with the environment and thus it is necessary to monitor and simulate changes. In this paper an attempt has been made to study the changes in land use and land cover in Dudhganga watershed over the span of twenty years (1991–2010). The study has been done through remote sensing approach using two time series data. The findings revealed that the study area experienced drastic change in land use/land cover during the last two decades. The study area is characterized with the decrease in agricultural area and forest and tremendous increase in settlement all due to increasing population. The study suggested that if the present trend continues it would lead to severe degradation of natural resources of the watershed. Therefore, proper land use planning for effective management strategies and policies for the rational land use is essential for a sustainable development of Dudhganga watershed.