Optimising benefits from watershed through use of remote sensing

Abstract

For a successful watershed development programme, baseline information on land and water resources, and socio-economic conditions is a pre-requisite. Besides, a well-defined and built-in mechanism for monitoring the success and progress of the programme, and effecting necessary mid-course corrections, if required, is equally important. Spacebome multispectral measurements by virtue of providing synoptic view of a fairly large area at regular intervals, hold very good promise in providing reliable information on nature, extent, spatial distribution, potentials and limitations of land and water resources of a watershed which forms a sound database for generation of developmental plan by suitably integrating with socio-economic and other relevant information in a Geographic Information System (GIS) domain. Furthermore, the multi-temporal nature of satellite data enables objective monitoring of the progress and success of the watershed development programme. The article illustrates the potentials of space technology in various facets of watershed development through two case studies; one on assessment of the impact of soil and water 'conservation measures in a watershed, and another on identification of kharijfallows aiming at their optimal utilization.