Survey and Mapping of Freshwater Bodies from Gadhinglaj Tahsil of Maharashtra (India) by using GPS

Abstract

The present attempt of study has been made to reveal the status of fresh water reservoirs from Gadhinglaj Tahsil of Kolhapur District, Maharashtra, India by using Global Positioning System (GPS) with reference to survey and mapping. Emphasis is given to survey, location, mapping and submergence area of major wetlands from the Tahsil. Comparison with secondary data is made available from Government authorities so as to study the percentage of change in the total submergence area of wetlands in this area due to anthropogenic activities and other environmental factors. The study adds multi-temporal GPS information on the reservoirs, which have paramount importance to indicate environmental changes and anthropogenic activities. The finding obtained from the survey can provide valuable information for policy makers and government authorities to implicate initiatives, management related decision-making and environmental impact assessment. The present results indicate reduction in the submergence area and changes in the landscape pattern due to influence of human activities and population pressure. The total reduction observed in water resources in present investigation from Gadhinglaj tehsil is 7.57%.