Land Use/ Land Cover Analysis Using Remote Sensing and Gis, a Case Study on Pulivendula Taluk, Kadapa District, Andhra Pradesh, India

Land, a non-renewable resource, is central to all primary production systems. The geospatial technology of Remote Sensing and GIS holds the potential for timely and cost – effective assessment of natural resources. The techniques have been used extensively in the tropics for generating valuable information about various surface features of the earth. Therefore, we have used Remote Sensing and GIS to study land use land cover changes, and Drainage pattern of Pulivendula Taluk, Kadapa district, Andhra Pradesh, India. The study area situated between parallels of 77 0 55’ to 78 0 31’33” E longitude and 14 0 15’ to 14 0 45’N latitude with intended boundary falling in Survey of India toposheet no.57J02, 57J03, 57J06 and 57J07. The total area covered is approximately 1506 square kilometers. By using satellite images IRSP6, LISS-III data of the study area four thematic maps such as location, Land use/ Land cover and drainage maps were prepared. It is observed that the important land use features like crop lands, barren lands or uncultivated lands, forest, built-up, soil and drainage pattern. The result shows that the crop lands are well distributed throughout the study area and it covers 887.03 sq. km (57.9 per cent). Forest occupies 162.49 sq. km and sharing about 10.79 per cent of the total land use land cover of the study area. The built-up land occupies 13.70 sq. km (0.91 per cent) and there was a rapid expansion of built-up lands. Barren land occupies 419.87 sq. km (27.88 per cent). Well developed dendritic drainage pattern is there in the study area. The spatial information of the surface will help in the optimal land use planning at the macro and micro level.