A study on the Land use pattern change along the coastal region of Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu

The ground water in a particular coastal aquifer is to be described, evaluated and explained primarily by application of principles of aquatic chemistry to hydrogeological systems to understand the migration of solutes using field data. The origin of salinity is not only due to seawater intrusion but there are other possible sources. There is a lot of human pressure on the coast line due to urbanization, industrialisation, aquacultural and agricultural activities. Apart from these factors, salinity increase in the coastal aquifers, sea level changes, changes in coastal configurations due to mining activities and impact of the natural calamities like floods, tsunami and earth quake also add to the magnitude of the problem. This study aims to bring out the Land use/land cover pattern of study area were studied using IRS P6 LISS III data and correlate with the water level, Electrical conductivity of ground water and rainfall variations. Two data products were selected during May 2000 and august 2009 to study the land use pattern variations. The land use/land cover patterns were visually interpreted and digitized using ERDAS IMAGINE, MapInfo and Arc GIS software. The study reveals that the agricultural area has increased by 172sq.km and settlements by 28.5 sq. km there is a decrease in water bodies and others (includes waste land).