Land use optimization using various sub models geospatial technology and genetic algorithm

Abstract

Water, the base of life of all living beings, is a priceless gift of nature to humanity. The demand for water is escalating while the over-exploited zones are facing water scarcity and severe droughts. The aim of the research is to evaluate the existing scenario and assess the groundwater recharge zones to provide a solution for the optimum land use with best management practice. The study area has been facing major depletion over the recent years due to the over-exploitation of groundwater. The surface water has gone dry, and the only alternative is to depend on groundwater. Groundwater has become one of the primary survival resources for both man and animal kind. Due to the heavy demand of groundwater, the extraction is exceeding the recharge. As a result, agriculture has become a delusion. According to the 2017 scenario, the soil has become dry land and desertification has taken place. Nambiyar watershed of Tirunelveli district is located in the southern part of Tamil Nadu, India has chosen as study area. This study aimed to assess the land use and the model is used to evaluate the existing water available. For the study of groundwater recharge zones, various thematic layers used in the study are geomorphology, soil, slope, potential recharge, geology, land use / land cover, drainage density, aquifer depth, and groundwater fluctuation. All the nine parameters are categorized based on the priority and the weights are assigned using the Analytical Hierarchy Method. newline