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Applications of Remote Sensing and GIS in Wasteland mapping

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 Paper No: 6 Remote Sensing & GIS Applications in Environmental Sciences
Module : 37 Applications of Remote Sensing and GIS in Wasteland mapping

Development Team
Principal Investigator
Prof. R.K. Kohli
&
Prof. V.K. Garg & Prof. Ashok Dhawan
Co- Principal Investigator
Central University of Punjab, Bathinda
Dr. Puneeta Pandey
Assistant Professor
Paper Coordinator Centre for Environmental Sciences and Technology
Central University of Punjab, Bathinda
Dr. Bal Krishan Choudhary
Content Writer Department of Environmental Science
Women's College, Agartala, Tripura
Prof. V.K. Garg
Content Reviewer
Central University of Punjab, Bathinda

1
Anchor Institute Central University of Punjab

Remote Sensing & GIS Applications in Environmental Sciences

Environmental
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 Description of Module

Subject Name Environmental Sciences

Paper Name Remote Sensing & GIS Applications in Environmental Sciences

Module Name/Title Applications of Remote Sensing and GIS in Wasteland Mapping

Module Id EVS/RSGIS-EVS/37

Pre-requisites Basic knowledge of remote sensing and GIS software

To understand the concept of wasteland and assess the role of remote sensing and GIS in wasteland
Objectives
mapping.
Keywords Remote sensing, GIS, Wasteland, Conservation, Inventory

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 Module 1: Applications of Remote Sensing and GIS in Wasteland Mapping

CONTENTS

1. Aim of the Module

2. Introduction

3. Wasteland generation process

4. Distribution of wasteland in India

5. Remote Sensing and wasteland mapping

6. Inventory of wastelands in India

7. Wasteland reclamation

8. Conclusion

9. References

1. Aim of the Module

• First, it will help understand the concept of wastelands.

• Second, it will assess the role of remote sensing and GIS in wasteland mapping.

At the end of this module, you would have obtained some idea about the wastelands, the factors
leading to wasteland generation as well as reclamation of wastelands. You would also be able to
understand as to how remote sensing and GIS would help in mapping of wastelands, and the
advantages of these techniques over conventional methods.

2. Introduction
Wastelands are those lands which are presently not being used to their optimum potential due to some
constraints. National Wastelands Development Board, Ministry of Environment and Forests,

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 Government of India describes wasteland as, “degraded land which can be brought under vegetative
cover, with reasonable effort, and which is currently under-utilized, and land which is deteriorating for
lack of appropriate water and soil management or on account of natural causes” (Rao, et. al., 1991).
Wastelands are known to result from inherent or imposed disabilities related to location, environment,
or soil, as well as financial and management constraints. With increasing human and animal pressure
on land, the production of vegetation for food and other uses has extended to areas under great
ecological stress and less favorable environment, leading to accelerated soil erosion and excessive land
degradation. Vast stretches of land have thus been transformed into wasteland owing to desertification,
soil salinity, waterlogging, excessive soil erosion etc. Ecologically the value of wastelands is so
precious that it cannot be measured by any monetary price. Desired one third of geographical area
under forest, climate & soil protection, secure and economically and ecologically viable energy supply,
biological diversity, increasing biomass can be achieved by reclaiming wastelands. It will also help in
creation of rural employment, strengthening of rural infrastructure and social development & equity. It
is very necessary to bring all the wastelands under productive and sustainable use through the
programs like afforestation, pasture development, cropping pattern and other economic use. For this
purpose reliable database on type, extent, location, morphogenesis, ownership of wastelands are
required and it is also necessary to categorize the wastelands in accordance with their intrinsic
characteristics and causative factors.

3. Wasteland generation process

Wasteland generation is a complex ensemble of surface processes. The problems of land degradation
are on the rise. Land degradation due to desertification, soil salinity, water logging, flooding, droughts,
excessive soil erosion due to deforestation and unscientific agricultural practices have resulted in the
creation of wastelands. Therefore, management of land resources is essential for both continued
agricultural productivity and protection for the environment. This requires an inventory of degraded
lands to initiate appropriate reclamation / treatment plans. The information on the extent and spatial
distribution of various kinds of wastelands is thus essential for strategic planning of development.
Some possible reasons for generation of wasteland in the country are as follows:
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 4.1 Water Erosion: Water erosion is the most widespread cause of land degradation and occurs widely
in all agro-climatic zones. The displacement of soil material by water can result in either loss of topsoil
or terrain deformation or both. This category includes processes such as splash erosion, sheet erosion,
rill and gully erosion. The result is more loss of fertile topsoil and plant nutrients. In some cases
where subsoil has kankars, lime nodules, etc will get exposed on the top thereby altering the pH
regime of the surface soil and subsequent nutrient holding capacity and their availability to plants. In
wind erosion too, the surface soil is lost and gets deposited in other fertile areas, thereby altering the
fertility and nutrient as well as water holding capacities.

4.2 Wind Erosion: It implies uniform displacement of topsoil by wind action. It can result in loss of
topsoil and the deposition of the eroded material elsewhere leads to formation of dunes. The uniform
displacement of topsoil by wind action occurs in thin layers / sheets. The uneven displacement of soil
material by wind action leads to deflation hollows and the dunes. The lifted medium to coarse soil
particles may reduce the productivity of adjacent fertile land when they are deposited in the form of
sand castings.

4.3 Water logging: Water logging is considered as physical deterioration of land. It is affected by
excessive ponding / logging of water for quite some period and affects the productivity of land or
reduces the choice of taking crops. Either because of topography, flooding or poor drainage condition,
and water logging occurs in some areas.

4.4 Salinization / Alkalization: Salinization and alkalization are problems of semiarid and arid areas.
They could be of natural or man-made. This is a major problem resulting in the desiccation of plants
due to high osmotic potential exerted on plant because of high concentration of salts. While,
salinization is mostly associated with the coastal areas and younger alluvial plains, alkalization
happens mostly in inlands and older alluvial plains. Generally, alkalization is associated with water
logging due to poor permeability of soil by the presence of sodium. Salinization can result from
improper management of canal irrigation water, resulting in the rise of the water table.
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 4.5 Acidification: Any soil process or management practices which lead to the buildup of hydrogen
cations (also called protons) in the soil will result in soil acidification. It also occurs when base cations
such as Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium and Sodium are lost from the soil leading to high hydrogen
ion concentration. This results in decrease of soil pH below 6.5. Increasing acidity through selective
removal of calcium cations on the exchange complex affects the balance in nutrient availability. It
generally occurs in regions of very high rainfall.

4.6 Glacial: These are the areas under perpetual snow covered areas. It degrades an area by two
processes, namely frost heaving and frost shattering. Frost heaving is defined as a process in glacial
and periglacial environment where intense frost action and freezing of water evolves peculiar forms of
rock, regolith and soil. The water crystallizes to ice below the surface horizon leading to micro-relief
variations on the surface. This process affects the germination and root growth of several crops thereby
limiting the productivity of land. Generally, these regions remain fallow during winters.

4.7 Anthropogenic: Human economic activities like mining, industries, etc., have also contributed to
decreased biological productivity, diversity and resilience of the land. Mining, brick kiln activities and
industrial effluent affected areas are included under this type of degradation. Nutrient depletion or
nutrient mining from fertile agricultural fields, without replacement through manure or fertilizer,
results in nutrient deficiencies. Hence, the top fertile soil is almost permanently lost, if not properly
conserved. Chemical toxicity from industrial effluents and soil contaminated with poisonous chemicals
affects the plant growth significantly.

4.8 Others: Some of the degraded lands, which could not be included in the above type of land
degradation, are included here. They are mass movement/ mass wastage, barren, rocky / stony waste
areas, riverine sand areas, sea ingression areas. According to Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) of the United Nations (FAO, 1992), the various forms of land degradation such as soil erosion,
chemical poisoning, stalinization and loss through building or mining is about 5 to 7 Mha from good
cultivable lands.
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 4. Distribution of wasteland in India
The problem of wasteland has become a serious issue in India and it has increased with the
development of technology for increasing the agricultural production. According to Indian Wasteland
Atlas (2010) the wasteland area is now increased to 24% of the total geographical area. Although
several agencies have estimated the total extent of wastelands, the figures as well as their definitions
vary considerably. Reliable information on location, nature and extent of different wastelands on a
large scale is essential for launching a programme on wasteland development.

Figure: Showing the values of wastelands to the total geographical areas in different states.

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 If these wastelands could be brought under cultivation or other uses like afforestation and horticulture,
it can help in the socioeconomic development of the people and accelerate the overall economic
growth of the country. Approximately 175 million hectares of land are degraded India has total 329
million hectares (mha) of land. The extent of land under agriculture is 143 mha & again 56% of this
suffers from varying degrees of degradation. However land degradation due to desertification, soil
salinity, water logging, floods/drought, excessive soil erosion due to deforestation, unscientific
agricultural practices etc. have resulted in the creation of vast stretches of wastelands and a decrease in
per capita cultivable land besides ecological imbalance. Nearly 53 million hectares (Mha) are
wasteland and 22 Mha of land have problems of salinity, alkalinity, soil erosion, water logging,
shifting cultivation or presently unused because of their undulating nature. The land area prone to
floods has doubled from 20 Mha to about 40 Mha in last 10 years. Awareness of this fact has resulted
in the formation of the “National Wasteland Development Board” (NWDB) under the auspices of
National Land use and Wasteland Development Council (NLWC). The wastelands statistics indicated
that about 63.85 million hectares of land, which account for 20.17% of the total geographical area
(328.72 million hectares), exist as wastelands in India, National Remote Sensing Agency (NRSA,
2007). Among all the states, Kerala has a minimum 3.73 percent and Jammu and Kashmir has a
maximum 64.55 percent of area under wasteland categories.

5. Remote Sensing and wasteland mapping

Information on geographical location, aerial extent and spatial distribution of wastelands is essential
for their effective management and sustainable development. Among the new technologies emerged
for studying natural resources, remote and Geographical Information System (GIS) are effective
technologies for detecting, assessing, mapping, and monitoring the wastelands. Space borne
multispectral data, by virtue of providing synoptic views of fairly large areas at regular intervals, have
been found to be very effective in providing the necessary information on salt-affected soils and
waterlogged areas in a timely and cost-effective manner.

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 Figure: An overview of Wasteland mapping methodology (NRSC, 2000).

In the visual interpretation of satellite data, high soil moisture and surface waterlogged areas are
identified as deep dark grey to light black in color described that areas with high water logging risk. To
study the spatial dynamics of wastelands, and to evaluate the utility of high resolution satellite data for
wasteland mapping, the IRS P6 satellite data(23.5x 23.5 m) and topographical maps are generally
used (Scale = 1:50000). The dynamic nature of wasteland categories warrants the uses of multi-season
satellite data for their accurate delineation. Hence, such images need to be geo-referenced in a
common coordinate and projection system. The Planning Commission of India has recognized GIS as
“an invaluable planning tool in land use and wasteland development for identifying treatment areas
and models, making trade-off calculations in choosing from competing land uses, and carrying out
simulations and impact assessments. The management of “wastelands” is a priority area in the context
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 of national development. In 1991, the Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) embarked upon an
ambitious project to apply GIS technology for wasteland management. This was based on prior work
carried in 1986 when the Department of Science (DoS) under the National Wasteland Identification
Project developed detailed wasteland maps of 147 districts in the country with a 1:50,000 scale. In this
project, a Task Force was identified to evolve a suitable wasteland classification system. The
classification system evolved and approved by the Planning Commission comprises of the following
categories (NWDB, 1987):

i. Gullied and/or ravenous land

ii. Upland with or without scrub
iii. Waterlogged and marshy land
iv. Land affected by salinity/alkalinity(coastal or inland)
v. Shifting cultivation area
vi. Sandy (desert or coastal)
vii. Mining/industrial wastelands
viii. Under-utilized/degraded notified forest land
ix. Degraded pasatures/grazing land
x. Degraded land under plantation crops
xi. Barren rocky/stony wastes/sheet-rock areas
xii. Steep-sloping areas, and
xiii. Snow covered and/or glacial areas

The application of remotely sensed data in mapping degraded lands space borne sensors started with
the launch of the first Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS-1 / Landsat-1). However, the
satellites Landsat-TM, SPOT and Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) Satellites with better spatial and
spectral resolution, enabled to map and monitor degraded lands more efficiently. GIS proved to be an
effective tool in handling spatial data available at different scales, voluminous point data such as soil
information, rainfall, temperature etc. and socioeconomic data and to perform integrated analysis of
data on various resources of any region and to arrive at optimum solutions for various problems.

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 Remote sensing imagery is vital for the understanding of land cover change, and thus forms an
essential element of any effort to track land degradation and desertification trends. Change detection is
the process of identifying differences in the state of an object or phenomenon by observing it at
different times. Change detection is an important process in monitoring and managing natural
resources and urban development because it provides quantitative analysis of the spatial distribution of
the population of interest. These studies may be helpful for the planners and stack holders in the
process of overall sustainable development of the study area. For detection of temporal changes in the
wastelands, two period data sets i.e., IRS, Linear Imaging Self-Scanning (LISS III) are used. The geo-
database generated using Arc GIS and on screen digitization techniques, shows the type, extent and
spatial distribution of different wasteland categories present in the area. The procedure involved in
wasteland mapping using satellite data consists of input data, preparatory work and methodology. The
methodology normally adopted for mapping at any scale consists of preparation of base map, on –line
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 visual interpretation of satellite data, development of legend, ground truth collection, analysis of soil
samples, classification of degradation classes and finalization of maps in light of field information and
analytical data. Thus, geocoded FCC products on 1:50000 scale are used for visual interpretation. The
image characteristics, such as colour, tone, texture, pattern, shape, size, location and association enable
one to identify and delineate different types of wastelands. These delineations, however, are tentative
and subject to confirmation in the field. Therefore, ground truth forms a vital input to mapping with
remote sensing data. The key for interpretation is subject to changes depending upon the season, scale
and resolution of the imagery. Certain categories of wastelands like salt-affected land, water-logged/
marshy land and sandy areas can be easily delineated by virtue of their spectral separability, pattern
and location; whereas gullied or ravenous land, shifting cultivation etc. can be delineated with
moderate success. However, undulating upland with or without scrub cannot be easily delineateddue to
similar reflectance pattern with fallow land. The issue can be resolved to some extent using multidate
images.

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 Figure 3: Area-wise Wasteland Map of India (Source:- 1:50000 Wasteland maps)

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 Figure 4: Wasteland Map of India (Source:- 1:50000 Wasteland maps)

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 Figure 5: Category-wise Wasteland to TGA (Source: Wasteland Atlas of India,2010)

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 Figure 6: Gullied and/or Ravinous Land

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 Figure 7: Land with or without scrub

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 Figure 8: Waterlogged and Marshy Land

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 Figure 9: Land affected with salinity and alkalinity

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 Figure 10: Shifting Cultivation Area

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 Figure 11: Under-utilised degraded Notified Forest Land

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 Figure 12: Degraded Pasture/Grazing Land

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 Figure 13: Degraded Land under Plantation Crop

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 Figure 14: Sands- Desertic/ Coastal/ Riverine

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 Figure 15: Mining/Industrial Wasteland

6. Inventory of wastelands in India

Using space-borne multi-spectral data, maps, showing extent, spatial distribution and
magnitude of eroded lands, salt-affected soils, waterlogged areas, shifting cultivation, to name a few,
at 1:250,000 and 1:50,000 scales have been generated. The saline soils appear in different shades of
white tone with fine to coarse texture on the False Colour Composite (FCC) prints of the satellite data,
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 owing to presence of the salts, and are recognizable under normal crop growth. For assessing these
soils, the National Remote Sensing Agency has prepared maps on 1 : 250,000 scale using satellite data
from Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM)/IRS sensors in association with other central and state
government organizations. A digital atlas for India has been prepared. This information is being used
for planning land reclamation and soil conservation programmes. Estimated area of wastelands in the
country stands at 63.85 million hectares. Each maps shows village, forest compartment and micro
watershed boundaries. Following 13 categories of wastelands can be identified and mapped on 1:50,
0000 scale using Remote Sensing technology.
Sl. Categories % of total
No geographical
area covered

1. Gullied and/or ravinous land 0.65

2. Land with or without scrub 6.13

3. Waterlogged and marshy land 0.52

4. Land affected by salinity/alkalinity coastal/inland 0.65

5. Shifting cultivation area 1.11

6. Underutilized /degraded notified forest land 4.44

7. Degraded pastures/grazing land 0.82

8. Degraded land under plantation crops 0.18

9. Sands-Desertic/coastal 1.58

10. Mining/industrial wastelands 0.04

11. Barren rocky/stony waste/sheet rock area 2.04

12. Steep sloping area 0.24

13. Snow covered and/or glacial area 1.76

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 Total waste land area 20.17

For mapping wastelands, both visual as well as digital analyses of satellite data were undertaken. In all
532 districts out of 584 districts were covered by visual analysis of satellite data and remaining 52
districts were mapped using digital analysis. Various categories of wastelands were identified and
mapped based on image characteristics such as tone, colour, texture, pattern, shape, size and
association. Apart from the wasteland categories, transport network (roads, railways), habitations and
village boundaries were shown on the final maps so that the planners can easily locate various
wastelands on the ground at the time of formulation and execution of various projects related to
management and reclamation of wastelands.

6.1 Barren lands: those ecosystems in which less than one third of the area has vegetation or other
cover. In general, Barren land has thin soil, sand or rocks. It is unsuitable for Agriculture, due to both
climatic and terrain factors such lands will be deteriorating and needs soil management.

6.2 Salt affected area: this land is generally characterized as the land that has an adverse effect on the
most of the plants. These are found in river plains and in associated with irrigated lands. The salt
affected land is generally characterized as the land that has adverse effects on the growth of plants due
to the excessive presence of soluble or high exchangeable Sodium.

6.3 Gullied land: Gullies are narrow and deep channels developed as a result of wearing away of soil
by running water. Gullies develop from the rills which are tiny channels a few centimeters deep,
formed by the impact of rainfall and wearing action of runoff generated.

6.4 Sandy areas: Composed of or covered with relatively large particles; granular and occur as a sandy
plain in the form of sand dunes, beach sands and dune (wind blown) sands.

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 6.5 Stony waste: these are the rock exposure often barren and devoid of soil cover and vegetation, and
not suitable for cultivation. It also does not support ground water recharge and habitat for ground flora
and fauna.

6.6 Land with or without Scrub: Scrub is a landscape; need to exclude areas which are not capable of
being grazed. Scrub lands are seen along the ridges and valley complex, linear ridges and steep slope
areas. Most of these areas are characterized by the presence of thorny scrub and herb species; many
hillocks of steep and dome shaped are associated with poor vegetal cover. Land under this class is
generally prone to degradation/deterioration and may not have scrub cover. Generally it is confined to
uplands.

7. Wasteland reclamation

There is an urgent need to reverse the trend of wasteland generation and restore the wastelands to their
production potential in order to meet the demands of increasing population and other developmental
activities.

Remote sensing also forms a critical element in early warning systems for drought and famine. Many
national reports to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification now feature estimates of
land degradation based on remote sensing data. Planning for development of degraded lands including
erosion affected and waterlogged soils calls for up-to-date information on their geographical location,
aerial extent and spatial distribution, conventionally the information on different categories of
wastelands is arrived at by compilation from village records, which is primarily statistical in nature.

Wasteland type Reclamation methods Suggested land use Remarks

Gullied and / or Leveling of gullies or Afforestation, Food Reduce erosion

ravenous land ravines construction of and fuel
check dams Agrohorticulture

Upland with or Contour bunding Natural generation of Protection and

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 without scrub Contour trenching forest cover survival of plants
are very important.
Contour terracing

Degraded/ Regulate grazing Terrace cultivation

underutilsed activity.
forest land Restrict illegal forest Permanent
felling cultivation

Stony wastelands Regulate grazing Pasture development

activity

Wet land Passage to the logged Fish/Prawn faming

water

In recent years, there has been an increased concern among planners in the country, on the types of
wastelands and their precise spatial distribution and timely availability of the information. With the
advent of remote sensing, a major technological breakthrough has happened in the method of acquiring
information about natural resources. Land degradation study requires an accurate assessment of how
wide spread it is, how severe the damage is and whether or not it is practically controllable or
reversible.

8. Conclusion
The data derived from the Satellite and topographic studies have brought out the factor that wasteland
should be managed properly. The potentiality of satellite imaginary for the preparation of accurate
baseline information is well acknowledged and rose. The RS/GIS technology is the master tool in
managing the wastelands of the country, starting from mapping, characterization, possible reasons,
protection and reclamation of wastelands. At each step of management, RS/ GIS are economically

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 sound, speedy and accurate method. Generation of human resource and skilled personnel having
proper training on RS/GIS can contribute a lot in the entire process.

9. References

Lillesand, T. M., Kiefer, R. W., and Chipman, J. W., 2008, Remote sensing and image interpretation,
New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Thapa, R., and Murayama, Y., 2009, Urban Mapping, Accuracy, & Image Classification: A
Comparison of Multiple Approaches in Tsukuba City, Japan, Applied Geography, 29, pp.135–
144.

Campbell, J. B., 1996, Introduction to remote sensing (2nd ed.), London: Taylor and Francis.

Joseph, J. 2005, Fundamentals of Remote Sensing. Hyderabad, University Press (India).

Nupoor Prasad, Manoj Semwal and Parth Sarathi Roy (2015) Remote Sensing and GIS for
Biodiversity Conservation. Springer, India 2015.

John Rogan and DongMei Chen (2004)Remote sensing technology for mapping and monitoring land-
cover and land-use change. Progress in Planning 61 (2004) 301–325.

Wastelands atlas of India, 2010, Govt. of India Ministry of Rural Development Department of Land
Resources, New Delhi.

Nisha Sahu, G.P. Obi Reddy, Nirmal Kumar and M. S. S. Nagaraju, High resolution remote sensing,
GPS and GIS in soil resource mapping and characterization- A Review. Agri. Review, 36 (1)
2015 : 14-25.

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 Sahina Khatun and Gopal Chandra Debnath. Identification and Mapping of Wasteland in
Birbhum District, West Bengal, International Journal of Advanced Remote Sensing
and GIS 2014, Volume 3, Issue 1, pp. 713-722.

Degraded and Wastelands of India Status and Spatial Distribution. Indian Council of
Agricultural Research, New Delhi, 2010.

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