Evaluation of decadal land degradation dynamics in old coal mine areas of Central India

Abstract

The present study attempts to understand land use land cover change dynamics in an area subjected to opencast and underground coal mining for the last few decades in Kotma Coalmines of Anuppur District in Madhya Pradesh, India through geospatial techniques. Land use and land cover (LULC) change detection analysis was performed digitally classifying LANDSAT-5 (2001) as well as LANDSAT-8 (2020) satellite data using a maximum likelihood algorithm. Results revealed that area under dense native vegetation decreased drastically (by 13.74 km 2 ) with the gradual and consistent expansion in the activities of coal mines which showed the highest increase in area over time (15.84 km 2 ). Bivariate regression analysis showed the positive empirical relationships between vegetation indices and soil physico-chemical parameters. Studies suggested that soil and vegetation is degraded over the large mining areas consistently over a long time period. Despite the continuous reforestation activities on mined areas, the decline area under dense vegetation and sparse vegetation over the twenty-year time-scale indicates that the reclamation activities are still in its infancy.A land degradation vulnerability Index (LDVI) map was generated to understand the extent of decadal land degradation trends and it shows that 8.60% of the area is highly vulnerable to degradation. The land degradation index (LDI) inputs will help the planners to develop alternate strategies to tackle vulnerability zones for safe mining. Monthly estimation of various meteorological parameters was also recorded to generate heat plots for the period 2001-2020. The study concludes that monitoring and assessment of fragile ecosystems are indispensable for holistic environmental management.coal mining, decadal changes, heat plot, land degradation vulnerability index, land use land cover | INTRODUCTIONThe Anthropocene is a time of great risk for humanity due to emerging as well as rapidly evolving environmental consequences (Crutzen, 2002;Kareiva, 2014;Keys et al., 2019). Global climate change, degradation of natural resources, biodiversity loss, deterioration of ecosystem services pose huge challenge for all species on

Land degradation and development in India: Status quo, challenges and opportunities

“…For non‐structural degradation, Neeraj et al (2023) reported the role of heavy metal pollution in influencing soil fertility in different locations in north India (Neeraj et al, 2023). In another study, Thakur et al (2022) use satellite data (LANDSAT‐5 and 8) to report a substantial increase in degradation of forest ecosystems due to open and closed mining activities in central India. This study showed that 15.84 km 2 area has been converted to a highly inhospitable condition in the last 20 years, which certainly have negative consequences for wildlife and human well‐being.…”

“…This study showed that 15.84 km 2 area has been converted to a highly inhospitable condition in the last 20 years, which certainly have negative consequences for wildlife and human well‐being. Authors used land degradation vulnerability index to report that mining activities have placed 8.60% of the tropic dry forests under high vulnerability in Annupur district in Madhya Pradesh (Thakur et al, 2022).…”

“…The learnings from some of these ecosystems are also quite clear. For land degradation, the studies in this special issue were able to quantify and predict structural degradation in the form of gully erosion (Raj et al, 2022) and quantified the impact of non‐structural land degradation drivers such as mining and heavy metal contamination (Thakur et al, 2022). The studies in this special issue found that agroforestry improves soil outcomes while also providing socio‐economic benefits by supplementing income of farmers (Karki et al, 2022; Nienkerke & Patt, 2022).…”

Integrated Phytobial Remediation of Dissolved Pollutants from Domestic Wastewater through Constructed Wetlands: An Interactive Macrophyte-Microbe-Based Green and Low-Cost Decontamination Technology with Prospective Resource Recovery

“…While several renewable sources, like sunlight, water, wind, etc., can provide energy, they are either inherently impossible or challenging to regulate or exhibit climate dependency, which is becoming increasingly unpredictable daily. In this regard, plant biomass has once again become a viable alternative to increase the options for renewable energy sources [210][211][212].…”

Study on Aeolian Sand-Box Backfill Geomechanical Characteristics and Overlying Strata Control Effects

“…Large-scale mining operations are likely to exert a considerable impact, resulting in damage to surface vegetation and underground water resources, posing a substantial threat to the delicate ecological balance in the region. [5][6][7][8][9][10]. Therefore, in the current situation where the public is increasingly concerned about the living environment and the country strongly advocates ecological civilization construction, for arid and semi-arid desertified mining areas with extremely scarce water resources, solid filling materials are the most ideal choice.…”