Effects of land use/land cover changes on water quality of a sub-tropical river basin

Uncontrolled urbanization results into sudden and rapid changes into Land Use/Land cover (LU/LC) of a subtropical river basin. Water quality is an important indicator of river basin health. For better river basin planning and management, the information is required on the state of water quality and the changes occurring into it. Remote Sensing and GIS are efficient aids for such study. Water quality parameters such as pH, Dissolved Oxygen (DO), Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD), Nitrate, Nitrogen (total oxidized), Electrical conductivity (EC) and Fecal Coliform Bacteria, at different sampling stations across the Upper Bhima river basin were analyzed to monitor the water quality changes in the basin. It is attempted to find if any relationship exists between the LU/LC changes and water quality of the river basin. Results reveal that LU/LC is changing rapidly in the study area and is strongly related with changes in water quality parameters.