Decoding Chambal River Shoreline Transformations: A Comprehensive Analysis Using Remote Sensing, GIS, and DSAS

Abstract

Illegal sand mining has been identified as a significant cause of harm to riverbanks, as it leads to excessive removal of sand from rivers and negatively impacts river shorelines. This investigation aimed to identify instances of shoreline erosion and accretion at illegal sand mining sites along the Chambal River. These sites were selected based on a report submitted by the Director of the National Chambal Sanctuary (NCS) to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) of India. The digital shoreline analysis system (DSAS v5.1) was used during the elapsed period from 1990 to 2020. Three statistical parameters used in DSAS—the shoreline change envelope (SCE), endpoint rate (EPR), and net shoreline movement (NSM)—quantify the rates of shoreline changes in the form of erosion and accretion patterns. To carry out this study, Landsat imagery data (T.M., ETM+, and OLI) and Sentinel-2A/MSI from 1990 to 2020 were used to analyze river shoreline erosion and accretion. The normalized difference water index (NDWI) and modified normalized difference water index (MNDWI) were used to detect riverbanks in satellite images. The investigation results indicated that erosion was observed at all illegal mining sites, with the highest erosion rate of 1.26 m/year at the Sewarpali site. On the other hand, the highest accretion was identified at the Chandilpura site, with a rate of 0.63 m/year. We observed significant changes in river shorelines at illegal mining and unmined sites. Erosion and accretion at unmined sites are recorded at −0.18 m/year and 0.19 m/year, respectively, which are minor compared to mining sites. This study’s findings on the effects of illegal sand mining on river shorelines will be helpful in the sustainable management and conservation of river ecosystems. These results can also help to develop and implement river sand mining policies that protect river ecosystems from the long-term effects of illegal sand mining.

Enhancing integrated resource management through remote sensing and GIS

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Assessment of aquatic ecosystem quality in Dharoi Reservoir using Sentinel-2 satellite imagery

“…One of the key indicators of water quality is Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a), a pigment found in algae and plants that reflects the trophic state and nutrient status of aquatic economic, political, and cultural phenomena from a global standpoint [8][9][10][11][12]. High concentrations of Chl-a may indicate eutrophication, a process of excessive algal growth that can impair water quality and cause ecological imbalance [13,14].…”

Assessing the Impact of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami on South Andaman’s Coastal Shoreline: A Geospatial Analysis of Erosion and Accretion Patterns

“…India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI) are vulnerable to earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis, which can result in land uplift, beach erosion, sediment transport, and deposition [33]. Reports have documented subsidence and emergence in the northern and middle Andaman districts within the South Andaman group of Islands [34].…”