Land Use and Land Cover Change Detection in Srikakulam District, Andhra Pradesh: A Geo-Informatics Approach

Abstract

The current study attempts to examine land use and land cover changes of Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh in India for 2017 through 2024 using satellite images provided by Sentinel-2 Level-2A. The goal is to assess and analyze transitions in land use categories including agricultural crops, forests, water, built-up areas, and rangelands. According to the obtained data, most of the land in Srikakulam district belongs to agricultural crops covering 2,599.36 sq. km or 58.47% in 2024, which indicates the heavy dependence on agriculture. In addition, tree cover has been reduced to 939.19 sq. km or 21.13%, water bodies have stayed relatively unchanged comprising 106.51 sq. km or 2.4% of the total area. The growth of rangeland has reached 468.88 sq. km or 10.55% while built-up areas have been expanded up to 303.95 sq. km or 6.84%. Transitions detected in the analyzed area include the expansion of agricultural land through conversions of rangeland and built-up areas. It shows that the priority is given to crop farming as the dominant activity.