Coastal Geomorphological and Land Use and Land Cover Study on Some Sites of Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat, West Coast of India using Multi-Temporal Remote Sensing Data

Abstract

The coastal rapid changes are monitored by Remote sensing (RS) and Geographical information (GIS) tools for the conservation and management. Aims of this paper are to monitor morphological, total vegetation, and water index changes in last two and half decades (1989, 2002, 2016) using Remote Sensing and GIS. The study area is rapidly changing at an alarming rate due to anthropogenic and natural activities. Morphological changes on study area are presenting major anthropogenic actions. Between 1989 and 2016 period, a tropical cyclone in 1998 caused a major change in mudflat area which reduced from 1143.97 to 459.07 km². More than fifty percent changes were observed in the built-up area and salt pan which increased from 9.18 to 18.17 km² and 51.55 to 90.32 km² respectively. The mangrove class increased from 180.63 to 296.5 km² showing better restoration and conservation practices of Gujarat government. The NDVI supports these results by increasing maximum positive index value from 1989 to 2016. This study indicates that Gulf of Kachchh coastal is undergone excessive pressure due to the rapid development of the surroundings artificial landscape, where socio-economic factors lead to changes in the near environment, as well as proliferative activities of salt production affecting the quality in the coastal ecosystem. For coastal conservation, the government introduced socio-economic activities, designing strict management policies and awareness programs for local communities about the importance of coastal for protection and management.