A Spatio-Temporal Analysis of Land Use/Land Cover Changes in Prayagraj City, India

Abstract

Urbanization is an important process of land-use change that influences the spatial structure and environmental conditions of cities. The present study is designed to study the temporal changes and decadal pattern of the Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) transformation in Prayagraj City, 1992 to 2023 through remote sensing and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques. LULC maps for the selected years were prepared and change in five major classes namely waterbody, built up, vegetation, agriculture and barren land was identified. Net area change and percentage change over various periods were used to assess magnitude of change. The analysis results show that there is a significant change in the land use land cover pattern of Prayagraj City over the study period. The built-up area increased from 55.2087 km² in 1992 to 109.737 km² in 2023, representing an increase of 98.77 percent. On the other hand, the area of vegetation decreased from 103.975 km² to 25.8795 km², this implies 75.11 percent decrease. The area of waterbody reduced from 2.9385 km² to 1.5786 km² which is 46.28 percent. Agricultural area showed a marginal decline of 0.19 per cent while barren area showed a positive increase of 64.39 per cent. The results show that the significant change in Prayagraj city was related to the increase in built-up areas and the decrease in vegetation and waterbody areas. The study offers valuable information on the evolution of the urban landscape and emphasizes the need for incorporating LULC monitoring in the sustainable urban planning and administration of Prayagraj City.