Land Degradation Study of a Part of Eastern Chotanagpur Plateau, India

By : Avijit Mahala , Padmini Pani

Page No: 26-40

Abstract
Land Degradation indicates the destruction and decline of global ecosystem’s health. The study primarily related to status of land degradation of Silabati River basin which lies in eastern Chotanagpur. The present river basin is the representative of an area between Archean geology dominated in western parts of Chotanagpur plateau and recent alluvial deposited Ganga river basin in east. After originating in Chotanagpur plateau, Silabati River flows through plateau fringe of undulating surface. It flows through the western ‘Rarh’1 areas of West Bengal. This is also one of the intense agriculture dependent population area of eastern India. Land degradation status is observed by overlaying the different physical (geomorphology, soil, geology etc.) as well as anthropogenic (LULC change, population pressure, forest cover, irrigation etc.) components. All of the factors have weightage with a certain value in relation the vulnerability of the land degradation. After that different factors weightage rasters have multiplied by raster calculator. The multiplied raster helps to identify different land degradation classes with different vulnerability. The upper course of basin which is characterised by undulating topography, less fertile soil, high water erosion is more vulnerable to degradation. Whereas, anthropogenic factors related land degradation dominates lower reaches.

Authors :
Avijit Mahala :  Research Scholar, Center for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, 110067
Padmini Pani : Associate Professor, Center for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India, 110067.
 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.32381/ATNAGI.2018.38.01.3