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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION

1. INTRODUCTION
Land and water, the most pristine natural resources and the basic elements of life
support system have been subjected to a variety of pressures for the past few decades.
Increasing population and the associated developmental activities focused on exploitation
of these natural resources with total disregard to proper management and ecological
impacts have resulted in environmental degradation. Consequently the land is losing its
resilience at an alarming rate threatening the livelihood as well as food security of millions
of people and constraining the ability to develop a healthy natural/agricultural resource
base. This situation calls upon scientific appraisal and sustainable measures to increase the
efficiency of limited natural resources at the disposal and optimizing the use without any
adverse consequences. Sustainable land development ensures and enhances better resource
conservation and promotes long-term sustainability which is basic to future food
production and to the economic welfare of rural communities. Managing and developing
the land resources without endangering the environment is a crucial issue the world is
facing today (Kachhwaha 1985), (Khorram & John 1991 and Sharma& Bohra 1989).
Land and Water are the two most valuable and vital resources essentially required
not only for sustenance of life but also for the economic and social progress of a region.
India is basically an agrarian country with a gross cropped area of 177mha put of total
328.7mha of geographic area. Increasing population pressure has resulted in a considerable
degree of land transformation and environmental deterioration leading to a decline in the
availability of land. In order to optimize the use of available land and to meet the multiple
demands of food, fodder, Fuelwood etc. A proper planning and management of land and
water resources is a basic prerequisite, which is possible through watershed-based
programmes.
Land and water are essential resources for day to day activities. Knowledge of
drainage, land use/land cover and hydro-geomorphology and other terrain attributes are
important for planning and management activities. Remote Sensing and GIS both from the
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conventional sources has proved to be an effective tool in planning for Land and Water
Resources management. Land and Water Resources Management imply utilisation of land
and water resources for optimal and sustained production with the minimum hazard to
natural resources and environment.
Land and water are the two most valuable and essential natural resource which
forms the basis for life of all forms. These are key resource for all economic activities,
such as, agriculture, commercial and industry. Though bestowed with abundance of natural
resource of all kind, countries like India with more than a billion population and with an
annual growth rate of 17 million is expected to grow to 1.5 billion by the year 2050.
According to some estimates, to cater the demands of its 1.5 billion people, India requires
1,201,000 million cubic meters of water by the year 2050. This has been causing a severe
stress and necessitates for proper planning, conservation monitoring, management and
optimal utilization of these resources. The planning should aim at inclusive, participatory
and co-ordinate approach for area development. Keeping this in view, the concept of
sustainable development of natural resource centred on watersheds gained more
importance all over the world since 1974. Advent of Remote sensing and GIS technology
has made the integrated watershed management approach most popular as they are highly
reliable, precise, time effective and can be integrated and depicted spatially with multiple
themes and criteria and also can be used as a pre-requisite for the development of an action
plan. This integrated watershed management approach using Remote sensing and GIS
paved a way for the wide implementation of the approach in various developmental
programs for proper utilization of land and water resource which is at disposal. Land-water
management and optimum utilisation at basin level naturally refers to the developmental
programs and practices, such as, soil and water conservation, dry land or rainfed farming,
ravine reclamation, control of shifting cultivation etc. The study highlights the importance
of information generated through such studies can be used for decision making and
sustainable development.
Land and water resources are limited and their wide utilization is imperative,
especially for countries like India, where the population pressure is increasingly
continuous. These resource development programmes are applied generally on watershed
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basis and thus prioritization is essential for proper planning and management of natural
resources for sustainable development. Watershed deterioration is a common phenomenon
in most parts of the world. Amongst several causes, the major ones are improper and
unwise utilization of watershed resources without any proper vision, which is observed in
developing countries. In order to combat and address these problems, sustainable
development is no doubt the appropriate policy strategy. Drainage basins, catchments and
sub-catchments are the fundamental units of the management of land and water, identified
as planning units for administrative purposes to conserve natural resources. The watershed
management concept recognizes the inter-relationships among the linkages between
uplands and low lands, land use, geomorphology, slope and soil. Soil and water
conservation is the key issue in watershed management while demarcating watersheds. A
watershed using remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) data has been
successfully attempted by several workers. They have all arrived to the conclusion that the
integrated approach plays an important role for sustainable development and management
of watersheds.
1.1 Importance of Land for Sustainable Development
Pressures on land everywhere and the need to achieve a balance between the
exploitation and conservation of the land resources have made rational resources use and
management at all levels (world, regional, sub-national and local a vital issue. Global and
regional institutions as well as individual countries need to look all the present and future
requirements for produce and goods from the available land resources and how to satisfy
these requirements considering them against the possibilities and constraints of a
sustainable production from these resources. They need to malt the best choices among
options for the use of land in order to support development without hazard of land
degradation, which would endanger sustainable production of food and other rural
products.
1.2 Land resources and its management
Natural resources management for sustainable development is a major study
undertaken by the Department of Space, Government of India, under the project
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Integrated Mission for Sustainable Development (IMSD). The study has been taken up in
174 districts all over the country, covering nearly 45 percent of the geographic area of the
country. It aims to generate spatial databases on various natural resource themes, to
integrate and analyse them for arriving at sustainable agro-based land use alternatives.
These maps serve as vital inputs for policy makers in the planning and implementation of
developmental activities related to watershed management.
Land includes al1 the natural environmental resources contained on the earth
surface: soil, terrain, water, climate and weather. Human welfare and socio-economic
development depends on the capability of the land resources to provide food, fuel, timber
fibre and other raw materials. In many developing countries the land use situation is
changing fast. In some, output of food crops has increased with irrigation and
management, and the need for staple foods in both country-side and cities can be satisfied
on the interna1 markets; fanners are able to use land to grow novel products in response
market demand. Economies are becoming larger and more diverse; settlements and
industries are growing and more land area is needed for these purposes. In other countries,
there may be problems in any or al1 of these activities .In particular, in most sub-Saharan
countries, the intensification of land use to satisfy the ever increasing demand for food,
fuel and shelter by a fast growing population, associated with improper use of the land, is
putting severe strains on land resources in various agroecological regions. Reserves of
fertile lands are continuously diminishing as new production needs are met by opening up
new land. Already the needs and growing aspirations of the steadily increasing populations
have forced changes in production practices that have imposed excessive demands on
fragile, lands in humid high forest areas as well as dry savannah zones, resulting in
widespread deterioration of the conditions of the productive land areas, undermining in
turn the capacity of production.
Rational land use planning and integrated land resources management are essential
parts of the solution to sustainable land use and related problems. Knowledge of land
resource endowment and its potential under different level of technology is an essential
prerequisite to planning of optimum land use and subsequent sound, long term agricultural
and socioeconomic development.
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1.3 Water resource and its management

In the past decade, water resources management has faced a multiple paradigm
shift: from supply to demand management, from engineering to an environmental
perspective, from a top-down to a participatory management. There is a broad consensus of
the need to achieve a better balance between economic efficiency and environmental
quality in the sense of sustainable development of natural resources (REITSMA 1996).
Such an integrated water resources management can be supported by analysing water
quantity and quality and their temporal and spatial distribution within a river catchment.
This should be based on its physiographic and socio-economic conditions, and integrated
with water demand and utilisation analysis. In this context, Decision Support Systems can
assist in turning a multidisciplinary management using separate tools into an integrated,
interdisciplinary framework system.
The human race through the ages has striven to locate and develop water
resources. Most of the habitations and cities are developed close to the rivers. Over ninety
percent of liquid fresh water available at given moment on the earth lies beneath the land
surface. Groundwater, unlike surface water, is available in some quantity almost
everywhere. Groundwater has long been regarded as the pure form of water compared to
surface water, because of purification of the former in the soil column through anaerobic
decomposition, filtration and ion exchange. This is one of the reasons for the excessive
consumption of groundwater. Recently, due to increase of population, consumption of
water also increases rapidly, so not only availability of water but also quality of water is a
challenge for us. The fast growing population, rapid Urbanization and industrialization,
coupled with spatial and temporal variation has effected water availability, water quality
problems etc.
1.4 Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
IWRM is the sustainable development, allocation and monitoring of water resource
use in the context of social, economic and environmental objectives (Cap-Net, 2005a). It is
cross-sectoral and therefore in stark contrast to the traditional sectoral approach that has

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been adopted by many countries. It has been further broadened to incorporate participatory
decision-making of all stakeholders.
IWRM is a paradigm shift. It departs from traditional approaches in three ways:
The multiple goals and objectives are cross-cutting so that IWRM departs from the
traditional sectoral approach.
The spatial focus is on the river basin instead of on single water course.
The failure to recognize interdependency, coupled with unregulated use, can lead to
water wastage and the unsustainability of water resources developed for various
uses.
Different user groups (farmers, communities, environmentalists and others) may
influence strategies for water resource development and management. It brings additional
benefits, as informed users apply local self-regulation in relation to issues such as water
conservation and protection of catchments far more effectively than central regulation and
surveillance. The term management is used in its broadest sense, in that it highlights the
need to not only focus on the development of water resources, but also to consciously
manage water development that ensures sustainable use for future generations.
IWRM occurs in a holistic framework, dealing with:
All water (spatial);
All interests (social);
All stakeholders (participatory);
All levels (administrative);
All relevant disciplines (organizational);
Sustainability (in all senses: environmental, political, social, cultural, economic,
financial and legal).
The framework is so broad, that it can create environmental, institutional, social,
technical and financial sustainability through the creation of a platform for government and
stakeholders for planning and implementation, and to deal with conflicts of interests. The
analysis should take account of social, environmental and economic objectives; evaluate

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the status of water resources within each basin; and assess the level and composition of
projected demand. Special attention should be given to the views of all stakeholders.
1.5 Remote Sensing and GIS application of land and Water Resources Management
The development of integrated information and management systems for land and
water resources is requires the extensive application of remote sensing techniques. The
reasons are mainly the missing availability of area wide data and the inaccessibility of
many areas in the region. There are many hydrologically relevant parameters that can be
determined by using remote sensing data (Hochschild et al. 2000). Remote sensing can
supply input and validation data for hydrological models and concentrate on water balance
and water demand. One of the key points in the remote sensing applications is the use of
different image sources for improving the results. By fusion of data of different spectral,
temporal and spatial information as well as with ground measurements, it is possible to
combine the various advantages of the different sources.
GIS is generally defined as a computer-assisted mapping and cartographic
application, a set of spatial-analytical tools, a type of database systems, or a field of
academic study (Lo and Yeung, 2003). In order to provide a simple working definition of
GIS, the two widely used definitions are: (i) GIS is a system of hardware, software, and
procedures designed to support the capture, management, manipulation, analysis,
modeling, and display of spatially referenced data for solving complex planning and
management problems (Rhind, 1989); and (ii) GIS is a computer system capable of
assembling, storing, manipulating, and displaying geographically referenced information
(USGS, 1997). The basic ideas contained in these two definitions have been adopted in
GIS textbooks such as by Burrough (1986), Aronoff (1989), DeMers (2000) and Clarke
(2001). Simply put, GIS is a set of computer-based systems for managing geographic data
(i.e., spatial data having the reference to geographic space and the representation at
geographic scale) and using these data to solve various spatial problems.
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) have proved to be immensely helpful in
the organization of the huge database generated through space technology (Trotter, 1991).
The utility of GIS in the analysis and modeling of integrated information is well
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established (Burrough, 1989). GIS has been used in the development of digital databases,
assessment of status and trends of resources utilization of the areas and to support and
assess various resource management alternatives (Clark, 1990). Spectacular developments
in the field of GIS is to synthesize various thematic information in association with
collateral data have not only made this technology effective and economical but also a tool
to arrive at development strategies for sustainable land and water resources management.
Remote sensing and GIS has several advantages over field measurements. First,
measurements derived from remote sensing are objective; they are not based on opinions.
Second, the information is collected in a systematic way which allows time series and
comparison between schemes. Third, remote sensing covers a wide area such as entire
river basin. Ground studies are often confined to a small pilot area because of the expense
and logistical constraints. Fourth, information can be aggregated to give a bulk
representation, or disaggregated to very fine scales to provide more detailed and
explanatory information related to spatial uniformity. Fifth, information can be spatially
represented through geographic information systems (GIS), revealing information that is
often not apparent when information is provided in tabular form.
1.6 Scope of the Present Study
In large number of cases the failure of watershed (land and water) development is
largely due to maladjustments with diverse facets of nature, caused by lack of awareness of
the natural resources. In order to generate optimum utilization of existing natural resources
like land and water in proper scientific surveys should be conducted. Geo-scientific studies
of the terrain, socioeconomic appraisal of the stake holders and the use of Remote Sensing
Data for faster assessment of natural resources such as soil, geology, drainage etc. as well
as assessment of economic activities through land use and infrastructure of the area is well
known. This is also used for monitoring of land and water resource development at later
years.
1.7 Aim and Objectives of the Present Investigation
AIM: To improve and strengthen planning, management and evaluation systems for land
and water resources in Lakya sub watershed in Chickmagalore Taluk and district.
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OBJECTIVES:
To generate information/databases on 1:50,000 scale pertaining to geomorphology,
drainage, surface water bodies, land use/cover, lithology, soil, slope Isohyetal,
ground water contour and transport network maps using satellite data .
To assign weightage for individual features of each theme to generate resource
development plans.
To integrate all thematic maps using overlay analysis tool in Arc-GIS 9.2 and
demarcating Groundwater Potential Zones of the study area.
To integrate all thematic maps using overlay analysis tool in Arc-GIS 9.2 and
demarcating land resource development plan for the study area.
To integrate all thematic maps using overlay analysis tool in Arc-GIS 9.2 and
demarcating water resource development plan for the study area.

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