Books by Dr. Shukla Acharjee
The drought-like situation in the lower Assam Brahmaputra Valley in 2006 compelled people residin... more The drought-like situation in the lower Assam Brahmaputra Valley in 2006 compelled people residing there to change their thinking that northeast India will not experience drought. More than five hundred thousand farmers were affected by the unusual drought. Until recently, the valley was considered to be most vulnerable to flooding twice a year. However, due to global climatic change and other such factors this region is now also experiencing drought-like situations. Therefore, it is high time that people realize, and prepare themselves to face, such a situation in the near future, use resources judiciously and learn the concept of sustainable development to preserve for future generations the natural resources available to them. In this paper the authors have designed a simple model and the cheapest method of rainwater harvesting, keeping in mind the amount of precipitation, topography, soil, depth, vegetation, cost of construction, storage and distribution system for the poor people of northeast India. As rainfall is the main source of surface water and its conservation is essential, rainwater harvesting is one of the most promising techniques for the collection of excess runoff. In this northeastern region, bamboo is considered a green gold. From storage to groundwater recharge, in the present model bamboo, which is easily available in this region, has been used. This technique of rainwater harvesting would be very cheap for farmers, in particular, and the masses, in general, living in the hilly regions as well as in the plains of northeast India.
Papers by Dr. Shukla Acharjee
Bogakine Lake popularly known as Boga Lake is a natural lake in the hill district of Bandarban. T... more Bogakine Lake popularly known as Boga Lake is a natural lake in the hill district of Bandarban. This lake is situated in Remakriparansa union under Ruma upazila, Bandarban, Bangladesh. The lake is rectangular. It is bounded on three sides by mountain peaks covered with thick bamboo bushes. It is a closed lake and there is a small spring named Boga chhara, which is 153m deep. There is no outlet for draining out water from the lake. The lake is composed of the soft rocks of the Bhuban Formation. The main source of water is the spring. The configuration and change detection study of the lake is done using remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS). Global Positioning System (GPS) is used for water depth point positioning, depth was measured using sounding method and Google Earth high resolution satellite imagery is used as the basic data source for this research. The lake depth map and 3D Mesh diagram has been generated using field depth data, which serves as the additional...
Journal of Geological Society of India, Sep 10, 2015
Poverty is a socio-economic scourge raging at varying degrees throughout the Sri Lanka. Its preva... more Poverty is a socio-economic scourge raging at varying degrees throughout the Sri Lanka. Its prevalence is most pervasive in the cores of Sri Lankan traditional cities than in the urban peripheries which tend to be more modernized. Non-recognition of the heterogeneous nature of urban poverty and the many players involved in its management has only helped to aggravate the problem. Consequently, a holistic planning, implementation and control approach is imperative. This should involve all tiers of government, non-governmental bodies, and donor agencies, international Non Governmental Organizations with the research community on one hand, and a combination of historical, economical, sociological, anthropological and spatial perspectives on the other hand. The spatial perspective, which is the main focus of this paper, serves to interface with the other perspectives since people are used to space and they live in space. In this regard, Geographic Information Technology (GIT) is of utmost importance with the Spatial Database Management System (DBMS) as its heart. The essence of any DBMS is that data should be stored in an organized manner for easy retrieval to aid decision-making. Moreover, the use of Geographic Information System (GIS) for poverty-related data handling is superior not only to manual (traditional) data handling methods, but advantageous over other information systems as it admits data coming from different sources. This is because GIS derives effective results on making decisions on alleviating poverty by analysis and mapping via efficient spatial and attribute data storage and handling. This paper centres on the design of a GIS database for urban poverty assessment and inventory mapping. It is concerned with improving the effectiveness of managing urban poverty by designing a generic model showing the datasets and the relationships required for poverty appraisal application.
Key words: Data base, Urban Poverty, GIS
http://www.directionsmag.in/articles/spatial-connectivity-of-the-natural-drainage-system-in-the-watershed-o/376278
The choked lagoon in the district of Batticaloa in eastern Sri Lanka is a major player in the reg... more The choked lagoon in the district of Batticaloa in eastern Sri Lanka is a major player in the regulation of the hydro-physical dynamics in its locality. Whilst the importance of the lagoon as a critical fixture in regulating the ecological stability of the natural environment of Batticaloa is understood conceptually, little has been done to study the lagoon's roles from a systems science perspective. This paper focuses on an attempt which aims (for the first time ever) to demarcate the lagoon as a system in the spatial domain and establish its linkages with peripheral wetlands and drainage networks (both seasonal and perennial). As such, analysis performed on remotely sensed data gathered by the Google earth and Landsat Etm + data sources using spatial modeling techniques reveals the criticalities and sensitivities in the lagoon super system. The unique aspect of this study is arguably the spatial perspective taken in systems analysis contrary to the traditional temporal perspectives usually followed.
The 'energy crisis' in the seventies and onward changed the approach and priorities in the field ... more The 'energy crisis' in the seventies and onward changed the approach and priorities in the field of discovery of new non-conventional energy resources. It enhanced the efforts by various countries to look for alternate indigenous and renewable energy resources. In the process wind energy, solar energy, geo-thermal energy and sea wave energies were tried and developed as non-conventional energy resources in various countries depending upon their requirements. Thermal springs have been known to occur in India since centuries. In places like Badrinath and Gangotri in Uttar Pradesh; Sohna in Haryana; Rajgir in Bihar; Bakreshwar in West Bengal and Ganeshpuri in West Coast, Maharashtra, temples have been built on thermal springs and thermal water was utilized by locals. Thermal springs have drawn attention, being the surface manifestation of the vast resources of geothermal energy at depth in the form of geothermal reservoirs. Italy, being the pioneer country produced electrical power from geothermal fluids, way back in 1904. At present the total estimated electric power production from geothermal energy is in the range of 8771 MWe all over the globe. In the non-electrical sector, the thermal water is used in greenhouse cultivation, space heating, paper and pulp industry, agriculture industry, fish farming, tourism viz. bathing and swimming etc.
Bogakine Lake popularly known as Boga Lake is a natural lake in the hill district of Bandarban. T... more Bogakine Lake popularly known as Boga Lake is a natural lake in the hill district of Bandarban. This lake is situated in Remakriparansa union under Ruma upazila, Bandarban, Bangladesh. The lake is rectangular. It is bounded on three sides by mountain peaks covered with thick bamboo bushes. It is a closed lake and there is a small spring named Boga chhara, which is 153m deep. There is no outlet for draining out water from the lake. The lake is composed of the soft rocks of the Bhuban Formation. The main source of water is the spring. The configuration and change detection study of the lake is done using remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS). Global Positioning System (GPS) is used for water depth point positioning, depth was measured using sounding method and Google Earth high resolution satellite imagery is used as the basic data source for this research. The lake depth map and 3D Mesh diagram has been generated using field depth data, which serves as the additional data source. The surface change detection is performed using Google Earth newly provided historical imagery options. Bogakine Lake and its adjacent area landuse map is derived from Google Earth imagery. In addition, surface elevation profile in different directions of lake, bathymetric mapping with bottom topographic profile, lake surface area and lake water volume has also been calculated using remote sensing and GIS techniques. The present study using geospatial technology on Bogakine Lake reveals that the lake area is 18.56 acres or 7.39 hectare (2010 Google Earth imagery) and the surface elevation of lake is not similar and it varies from 368 m to 389 meters.
Wetlands are the most common and integral feature of the fluvial landscape of Assam. The wetlands... more Wetlands are the most common and integral feature of the fluvial landscape of Assam. The wetlands are locally known as "Beel", "Jolah", "Pitoni" etc. The beels in Assam are water bodies of different size and shapes, generally connected to the rivers the Brahmaputra, Barak and their tributaries. Panidihing Bird Sanctuary of Sibsagar district is very rich in wetland ecosystem. The wetlands play a vital role in the creation of good ecosystem balance and in maintaining healthy environmental condition of the area. In spite of their well recognized importance, the wetlands of Panidihing area presently suffer from degeneration and ecodegradation. These wetlands at present, however constitute a fast disappearing habitat in the Panidihing area. In this paper, an attempt is made to highlight the severity of the wetlands as sanctuary and provides a framework for the better management of the sanctuary.
A hazard is a naturally occurring process or event which has the potential to cause loss of life ... more A hazard is a naturally occurring process or event which has the potential to cause loss of life and property. Natural hazards are threatening events, capable of producing damage to physical and social space where they take place not only at the moments of their occurrence, but on a long term basis due to their associated consequence. In present day context, the applied geomorphologic knowledge has become very important for better understanding of natural hazards. The knowledge of geomorphology helps in mitigating various hazards or to reduce the impact to a great extent. This paper focuses on the role of Geomorphology in the prevention of various natural hazards with special emphasis to flood and erosion hazards caused by the dhansiri river of Golaghat district of Assam.
International Journal of Geology, Earth & Environmental Sciences ISSN: 2277-2081 (Online)
Golaghat district of Assam is very prone to river bank erosion and flood because of various hydro... more Golaghat district of Assam is very prone to river bank erosion and flood because of various hydrometeorological and topographical characteristics of the basin in which it is situated. Dhansiri, the main river of Golaghat district has long been considered as a problematic river in the history of Assam due to re-current and extensive flooding and bank erosion. Flood and erosion in the Dhansiri basin is characterized by their extremely large magnitude, high frequency and extensive devastation. An extensive field study has been done along the river Dhansiri. Minimum of 120 household surveys was carried out with detailed and exhaustive questionnaire. And statistical methods were applied to analyze the intensity of impact of the river on socio-economic activities of the population. It has been found that the extensive bank erosion and flood in the basin has changed their socio-economic status and have adapted and, coped with the geo-environmental change in the riverine areas of Golaghat district. These hazards posed threat to the local people who lived along the river. Losing residential and agricultural land are hot issues. The damage is varied from location to another due to differences of geographical, soil property and actions taken by the local people. The optimal exploitation of the land, and proper management and control of water resources are of vital importance for bringing prosperity in the pre-dominantly agro based economy of this diversely populated district. The research sheds light on the overall socio-economic impact of the river bank erosion and flood on the population in the areas near the river Dhansiri, to understand household's suitable methods which local people have used to mitigate and to protect river bank erosion and flood and to suggest some suitable measures.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEOMATICS AND GEOSCIENCES Volume 3, No 3, 2013 pp 500-510, ISSN 0976 – 4380.
Remote Sensing is an efficient tool for change detection of land cover/forest cover/ urban mappin... more Remote Sensing is an efficient tool for change detection of land cover/forest cover/ urban mapping incorporating satellite imagery. It not only provides us with the extents but also indicates some cultural, political and ecological impacts due to which the changes have occurred or land cover is tempered. The images indicate such changes in the urban areas of Assam. From these images the severity and extent of deforestation is an eye-opener. In Assam along the Brahmaputra and the riverine tracts of its tributaries, several cities are selected where the extent and severity of deforestation is high. These cities belong to the districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Sivasagar, Jorhat, Golaghat, Nagaon, and Kamrup all along the river. The urban sprawl area is studied taking 1974 and 2009 Landsat imageries using ArcGIS online explorer. It has been found that vast changes occurred due to migration of the people to cities in search of jobs and cultural advantages, and this has resulted in the formation of huge urban areas and surrounding periurban environs. But its effects are impacting the quality of life in every region of Assam, in the large cities and small towns. The present trend is to rapidly develop farms, agricultural land and forests into housing developments or strip malls. And the rate of development is accelerating. As a result, people suffer from increased traffic congestion, longer commutes, increased dependence on fossil fuels, crowded schools, worsened air and water pollution, threatened surface and ground water supplies, lost open space and wetlands, increased flooding, destroyed wildlife habitat, higher taxes, and dying city centres. Moreover, sprawl is creating a hidden debt of unfunded infrastructure and services, social dysfunction, urban decay and environmental degradation. 508 vehicular traffic and there is serious need to reduce traffic congestion in this area. Health problems like skin diseases, eye and cough problems, running nose, bronchitis and asthma are common in all the cities of Assam.
Journal of Society for Studies in Spatial Science
Studies in Surveying and Mapping Science (SSMS) Volume 1 Issue 3, September 2013
The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) formerly renowned as Calcutta Municipal Corporation, esta... more The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) formerly renowned as Calcutta Municipal Corporation, established in 1876, is responsible for the civic maintenance and infrastructure of Kolkata. The KMC serves an area of 187.33 sq. km. The city is divided into 141 administrative wards that are grouped into 15 boroughs. The geographical extent of the KMC area falls between north latitudes of 22028/00// and 22037/30// and east longitudes 88017/30// and 88025/00//.
Kolkata becomes a place to initiate improvements in several fields such as electric trams (1902), imtroduction of aeroplane (1910), Victoria Memorial(1929), Bengali Film (1931) and Howra Bridge (1941) and the maps prepared by National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organization (NATMO) in 1982 and 1984 clearly reflect the multifold increase of the population of the city.
Land use mapping of KMC carried out using NASA-GLCF provided free Landsat TM (GeoTIFF) imageries from 1990-2004. And landuse change in the KMC area has been detected using geospatial techniques and presented in the paper. The industrial growth was limited in the period between 1990-2004 due to political and other problems. The data indicates a negative trend but recently due to government initiatives industries have been set up and therefore the overall change shows an increasing trend (+) 0.34%. The overall change of the residential area (+) 27.89% and waterbodis (+) 1.01% as well shows positive increasing trend. The Multi-temporal Land use map of Kolkata Municipal Corporation prepared for this research work will be definitely helpful in generating tax property map in future as well as for the fruitful decision making in the development of Municipal Corporation.
Keywords
Landuse Change; Satellite Imagery; Geospatial; Kolkata Municipal Corporation
Copernicus Publications on behalf of the European Geosciences Union Earth Syst. Dynam. Discuss., 3, pp. 1085–1106, 2012, Sep 2012
The Kaziranga National Park is a forest-edged riverine grassland inhabited by the
world’s larges... more The Kaziranga National Park is a forest-edged riverine grassland inhabited by the
world’s largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses, as well as a wide diversity of
animals. The park is situated on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River at the foot
of the Mikir 5 Hills. National Highway 37 forms the southern boundary and the northern
boundary is the river Brahmaputra and covers an area of about 430km2. The Brahmaputra
River flows by Kaziranga National Park in a braided course for about 53 km.
Sequential changes in the position of banklines of the river due to consistent bank
erosion have been studied from Survey of India topographic maps of 1912–1916 and
10 1972, satellite IRS LISS III images from 1998 to 2008 using GIS. Study of bank line
shift due to the bank erosion around Kaziranga has been carried out for the periods
1912–1916 to 1972, 1972 to 1998 and 1998 to 2008. The amounts of the bank area
lost due to erosion and gained due to sediment deposition are estimated separately.
The total area eroded during 1912–1916 to 1972 was more (84.87 km2) as compared
15 to accretion due to sediment deposition (24.49 km2), the total area eroded was also
more in 1972–1998 (44.769 km2) as compared to accretion (29.47 km2) and the total
area eroded was again more in 1998–2008 (20.41 km2) as compared to accretion
(7.89 km2). The rates of erosion during 1912–1916 to 1970, 1970 to 1998, and 1998
to 2008 were 1.46, 1.59 and 1.021 km2 per year, respectively. During the entire period
20 (1912–1916 to 2008) of study the erosion on the whole was 150.04 km2 and overall accretion
was 61.86km2 resulting in a loss of 88.188km2 area of the park. The maximum
amounts of shift of the bankline during 1912–1916 to 1970, 1970 to 1998, and 1998 to
2008 were 4.58 km, 3.36 km, and 1.92 km, respectively, which amount to the rates of
shift as 0.078, 0.12 and 0.096km per year, respectively. A lineament and a few faults
25 have controlled the trend of the course of the Brahmaputra around Kaziranga area.
The main cause of erosion of the Brahmaputra is the loose non-cohesive sediments of
the bank throughout the park. The braided channel of the river strikes the bank directly
and undermines the silty bank causing overhanging blocks to be carried away easily by the river current. In future deposition is likely to be more in upstream or eastern part of
Kaziranga and erosion in middle part of Kaziranga national park area due to the river
Brahmaputra. Antierosion measures have been adopted only in a few places to check
bank erosion at Kaziranga.
International Journal of Physical and Social Sciences, Dec 5, 2012
International Journal of Physical and Social Sciences, Feb 1, 2013
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Books by Dr. Shukla Acharjee
Papers by Dr. Shukla Acharjee
Key words: Data base, Urban Poverty, GIS
Kolkata becomes a place to initiate improvements in several fields such as electric trams (1902), imtroduction of aeroplane (1910), Victoria Memorial(1929), Bengali Film (1931) and Howra Bridge (1941) and the maps prepared by National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organization (NATMO) in 1982 and 1984 clearly reflect the multifold increase of the population of the city.
Land use mapping of KMC carried out using NASA-GLCF provided free Landsat TM (GeoTIFF) imageries from 1990-2004. And landuse change in the KMC area has been detected using geospatial techniques and presented in the paper. The industrial growth was limited in the period between 1990-2004 due to political and other problems. The data indicates a negative trend but recently due to government initiatives industries have been set up and therefore the overall change shows an increasing trend (+) 0.34%. The overall change of the residential area (+) 27.89% and waterbodis (+) 1.01% as well shows positive increasing trend. The Multi-temporal Land use map of Kolkata Municipal Corporation prepared for this research work will be definitely helpful in generating tax property map in future as well as for the fruitful decision making in the development of Municipal Corporation.
Keywords
Landuse Change; Satellite Imagery; Geospatial; Kolkata Municipal Corporation
world’s largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses, as well as a wide diversity of
animals. The park is situated on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River at the foot
of the Mikir 5 Hills. National Highway 37 forms the southern boundary and the northern
boundary is the river Brahmaputra and covers an area of about 430km2. The Brahmaputra
River flows by Kaziranga National Park in a braided course for about 53 km.
Sequential changes in the position of banklines of the river due to consistent bank
erosion have been studied from Survey of India topographic maps of 1912–1916 and
10 1972, satellite IRS LISS III images from 1998 to 2008 using GIS. Study of bank line
shift due to the bank erosion around Kaziranga has been carried out for the periods
1912–1916 to 1972, 1972 to 1998 and 1998 to 2008. The amounts of the bank area
lost due to erosion and gained due to sediment deposition are estimated separately.
The total area eroded during 1912–1916 to 1972 was more (84.87 km2) as compared
15 to accretion due to sediment deposition (24.49 km2), the total area eroded was also
more in 1972–1998 (44.769 km2) as compared to accretion (29.47 km2) and the total
area eroded was again more in 1998–2008 (20.41 km2) as compared to accretion
(7.89 km2). The rates of erosion during 1912–1916 to 1970, 1970 to 1998, and 1998
to 2008 were 1.46, 1.59 and 1.021 km2 per year, respectively. During the entire period
20 (1912–1916 to 2008) of study the erosion on the whole was 150.04 km2 and overall accretion
was 61.86km2 resulting in a loss of 88.188km2 area of the park. The maximum
amounts of shift of the bankline during 1912–1916 to 1970, 1970 to 1998, and 1998 to
2008 were 4.58 km, 3.36 km, and 1.92 km, respectively, which amount to the rates of
shift as 0.078, 0.12 and 0.096km per year, respectively. A lineament and a few faults
25 have controlled the trend of the course of the Brahmaputra around Kaziranga area.
The main cause of erosion of the Brahmaputra is the loose non-cohesive sediments of
the bank throughout the park. The braided channel of the river strikes the bank directly
and undermines the silty bank causing overhanging blocks to be carried away easily by the river current. In future deposition is likely to be more in upstream or eastern part of
Kaziranga and erosion in middle part of Kaziranga national park area due to the river
Brahmaputra. Antierosion measures have been adopted only in a few places to check
bank erosion at Kaziranga.
Key words: Data base, Urban Poverty, GIS
Kolkata becomes a place to initiate improvements in several fields such as electric trams (1902), imtroduction of aeroplane (1910), Victoria Memorial(1929), Bengali Film (1931) and Howra Bridge (1941) and the maps prepared by National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organization (NATMO) in 1982 and 1984 clearly reflect the multifold increase of the population of the city.
Land use mapping of KMC carried out using NASA-GLCF provided free Landsat TM (GeoTIFF) imageries from 1990-2004. And landuse change in the KMC area has been detected using geospatial techniques and presented in the paper. The industrial growth was limited in the period between 1990-2004 due to political and other problems. The data indicates a negative trend but recently due to government initiatives industries have been set up and therefore the overall change shows an increasing trend (+) 0.34%. The overall change of the residential area (+) 27.89% and waterbodis (+) 1.01% as well shows positive increasing trend. The Multi-temporal Land use map of Kolkata Municipal Corporation prepared for this research work will be definitely helpful in generating tax property map in future as well as for the fruitful decision making in the development of Municipal Corporation.
Keywords
Landuse Change; Satellite Imagery; Geospatial; Kolkata Municipal Corporation
world’s largest population of one-horned rhinoceroses, as well as a wide diversity of
animals. The park is situated on the southern bank of the Brahmaputra River at the foot
of the Mikir 5 Hills. National Highway 37 forms the southern boundary and the northern
boundary is the river Brahmaputra and covers an area of about 430km2. The Brahmaputra
River flows by Kaziranga National Park in a braided course for about 53 km.
Sequential changes in the position of banklines of the river due to consistent bank
erosion have been studied from Survey of India topographic maps of 1912–1916 and
10 1972, satellite IRS LISS III images from 1998 to 2008 using GIS. Study of bank line
shift due to the bank erosion around Kaziranga has been carried out for the periods
1912–1916 to 1972, 1972 to 1998 and 1998 to 2008. The amounts of the bank area
lost due to erosion and gained due to sediment deposition are estimated separately.
The total area eroded during 1912–1916 to 1972 was more (84.87 km2) as compared
15 to accretion due to sediment deposition (24.49 km2), the total area eroded was also
more in 1972–1998 (44.769 km2) as compared to accretion (29.47 km2) and the total
area eroded was again more in 1998–2008 (20.41 km2) as compared to accretion
(7.89 km2). The rates of erosion during 1912–1916 to 1970, 1970 to 1998, and 1998
to 2008 were 1.46, 1.59 and 1.021 km2 per year, respectively. During the entire period
20 (1912–1916 to 2008) of study the erosion on the whole was 150.04 km2 and overall accretion
was 61.86km2 resulting in a loss of 88.188km2 area of the park. The maximum
amounts of shift of the bankline during 1912–1916 to 1970, 1970 to 1998, and 1998 to
2008 were 4.58 km, 3.36 km, and 1.92 km, respectively, which amount to the rates of
shift as 0.078, 0.12 and 0.096km per year, respectively. A lineament and a few faults
25 have controlled the trend of the course of the Brahmaputra around Kaziranga area.
The main cause of erosion of the Brahmaputra is the loose non-cohesive sediments of
the bank throughout the park. The braided channel of the river strikes the bank directly
and undermines the silty bank causing overhanging blocks to be carried away easily by the river current. In future deposition is likely to be more in upstream or eastern part of
Kaziranga and erosion in middle part of Kaziranga national park area due to the river
Brahmaputra. Antierosion measures have been adopted only in a few places to check
bank erosion at Kaziranga.
The importance of Forestry lies not only with its productivity but also in its capacity to prevent soil erosion. The State Government has therefore continued to impose ban on indiscriminate felling of trees in the State. The comparative study from Survey of India Topographical Map, 1974 and LISS-III 1D, 2005 of two districts of Assam namely Jorhat and Golaghat, it is very clear that there is substantial decrease in the Reserve Forest Area. Dayang Reserve forest is totally vanished by encroachment, same is the condition of Nambar, Holongapar and Disai Valley Reserve Forest where the crown coverage now is less than 40 percent of the total Reserve Forest Area. The total reserve forest area of Jorhat and Golaghat district during 1974 and 2005 is 458.8 sq km and 176.68 sq km respectively.
Keywords
Reserve Forest; Protected Forest; LISS III; Encroachment