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Chapter 2
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Large patches of Krol Formation, surrounded by Balni Formation of the Mussoorie Group are
beneath the Nainital-Khurpatal lake region and the Nandaur Valley region. The Krol
Formation consists of limestone shale, quartz and basic rocks. Outer Lesser Himalaya
separates the southern part by a thrust which falls under the Shivaliks, covered with various
metamorphic rocks in the north containing sandstone, shale, limestone, dolomites, etc.
2.2.2. RELIEF
The maximum part of Nainital district falls under Lesser Himalayan region of
Kumaun Himalaya. A narrow belt comprises the Shiwalik Hills of the southern portion. The
area reflects diverse topographic features, crisscrossed by several perennial and seasonal
rivers and streams. The beautiful peaks and lakes are the striking features of this area. Slope,
altitude, drainage pattern are the significant aspects of the terrain which directly or indirectly
influence the terrain.
The altitude of this area ranges from 327 to 2623 meters. Variation in altitude directly
affects the land-use pattern of the area and the percentage of net-sown area, the cropping
pattern, irrigation etc. are greatly affected.
Table 2.1 Various relief groups of the mountainous part of district Nainital
Area
Sl. No. Relief groups (in metre) Category
in km2 in %
1 < 500 47.03 2.63 Very Low
2 500- 1000 185.76 10.48 Low
3 1000 - 1500 548.66 30.70 Medium
4 1500 - 2000 678.86 37.93 Moderate
5 2000-2500 324.55 18.14 High
6 >2500 2.25 0.12 Very high
Total 1787.11 100
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Absolute Relief is significant and very important to understand the regional variation
of that particular area which is shown in Fig. 2.2 and 2.3. Table 2.1 reveals that the
mountainous part of Nainital District is divided into six categories, out of which: <500 m
altitude covers an area of 47.03 km2 or 2.63%, 500-1000 m covers 185.76 km2 or 10.48%,
1000-1500 m covers 548.66 km2 or 30.70%, 1500-2000 m covers 678.86 km2 or 37.93%,
2000-2500 m covers an area of 324.55 km2 or 18.14% and < 2500 m covers an area of 2.25
km2 or 0.12%.
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Table 2.2 Relative relief groups of the mountainous part of district Nainital
Area
Sl.No. Relative relief groups 2 Category of Relief
km %
1 < 200 164.44 9.20 Very Low
2 200-400 923.43 51.67 Low
3 400-600 672.72 37.64 Moderate
4 600-800 26.42 01.48 High
5 > 800 0.10 0.001 Very High
Total 1787.11 100.00
The relative relief of the study area is divided into five groups ranging from: below
200 m to greater than 800 m with 200 m interval, as shown in the Figures 2.4 and 2.5. The
percentage and area calculated for the study area is in the Table 2.2. Very low relative relief
(<200 m) covers only 9.20% or 164.44 km2 of the total study area.
Low relative relief (200 m - 400 m) covers an area of 51.75% or 923.43 km2. Under
moderate category (400 m – 600 m) the area is 672.72 km2 or 37.64%. The high relief
category (600 m – 800 m) holds an area of 26.42 km2 or 1.48%. Very high relative relief
category has the minimum area of 0.10 km2 or 0.001%. This category occurs in the north and
north east part of the study area.
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2.2.3. SLOPE
Figure 2.6 shows the slope category of mountainous part of Nainital district. Slope is
one of the most important physiographic aspects which influences land utilization pattern of
the study area. This influence may be both, direct or indirect. The slope is generally low in
the valleys and in the Shiwalik foothills and on the other hand it is higher in Betalghat,
Ramgarh and Okhalkanda areas. Observations on this aspect have been made by various
researchers in this field, notably MacGregor (1957), Symons (1967), etc. Figure 2.7 reveals
that the slope map has been derived on the basis of Wentworth's technique of slope analysis
and it is represented in the Table 2.3.
Table 2.3 Various slope groups of the mountainous part of district Nainital
Slope group (in Area
Sl.No. Category of slope
degree) km2 %
1 < 15 411.84 23.05 Low
2 15 – 30 1015.81 56.84 Gentle
3 30 – 45 350.93 19.64 Moderate
4 45-60 8.45 0.46 Steep
5 > 60 0.08 0.01 Very steep
Total 1787.11 100.00
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Figure 2.6 shows that under <15 degree slope category, the area is 411.84 km2 or
23.05 percent, gentle slope category hold the maximum area which is 1015.81 km2 or 56.84
percent, between 30-45 degree slope group the area under moderate category is 350.93 km2
or 19.54 percent, slope group 45-60 degree falls under the steep slope category has an area of
8.45 km2 or 0.46 percent and slope group >60 degree has an area of 0.08 km2 or 0.01 percent.
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Table 2.4 reveals various slope aspects of the study area. To generate aspect map,
ArcGIS 9.3 software has been used and with the help of the DEM. Fig. 2.8 and Fig. 2.9
reveals that the Aspect of north facet ranges from 0-22.5°. It covers an area of 111.36 km2
which is 6.23% of the total study area. The northeast portion of slope lies between 22.5° and
67.5° which covers an area of 229.83 km2 or 12.88 % of the total area. Under the aspect of
east, the direction of slope lies between 67.5° to 112.5°. It occupies an area of 213.11 km2
which is 11.92% of the total area. This southeast aspect belongs to the aspect group of 112.5°
to 157.5°. It occupies an area of 196.35 km2 which is 10.99% of the total study area. About
233.66 km2 or 13.07% area falls under south faced aspect which falls under 157.5° to 202.5°.
The southwest slope aspect lies between 202.5° to 247.5° which covers an area of 276.31 km2
or 15.46% of the total study area. The aspect of the west lies between 247.5° to 292.5°. It has
an area of 242.61 km2 or 13.57 percent of the present study area. Under the west aspect the
slope direction ranges from 292.5° to 337.5° which covers an area of 186.72 km2 or 10.45
percent of the total area. The north aspect of the slope falls under 337.5°-360° which covers
an area of 96.91 km2 or 5.42 percent of the total area.
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Fig. 2.9 Various slope aspect groups of the mountainous part of district Nainital
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2.2.5. DRAINAGE
District Nainital is crisscrossed by the perennial and seasonal rivers and rivulets. This
region generally represents a dendrite pattern. The main drainage basins are Kosi and Gaula
Rivers while in the east the subsidiary basins are formed by Ladhiya and Nandhaur Rivers
and Nihal and Dabka Rivers in the south-west. Kosi is the main river of this drainage system
which enters at Kwarab band flows westwards and meets there with Garjia in Nainital and
Almora districts. The river approaches the study area at Khairna. Before entering into the
plains the river changes its direction and reaches at Ramnagar tehsil. Thus, river Kosi
contributes a lot to the prosperity of the region. river Gaula, which has second largest
catchment area, originates near Motia pathar. Near Ranibagh it meets with river Balia. The
main tributaries of the Gaula are Kalsa nadi, Kainabi-gad, Balia nadi etc. The river makes its
origin from Motia pathar and follows a vertical path from north to south. At Khansou it
changes its direction to south west and after travelling 50-70 km it enters Bhabar region at
Ranibagh. River Gaula is a boon to the inhabitants of Haldwani, Lalkuan, Udham Singh
Nagar. Apart from this it provides employment to thousands of people from neighbouring
states.
2.2.6. CLIMATE
Climate plays an important role to determine the use of land and human activities.
Variation in altitudes, slope, aspect, and forest cover of the area represents a complex
climatic condition which changes from place to place. Variations in temperature and amount
of rainfall are associated with the change of altitude. The climate and rainfall data obtained
from weather station IVRI Mukteshwar is a compilation of data of last 75 years. Table 2.5
illustrates the variation in temperature and rainfall for the whole year. The highest monthly
temperature was recorded in the month of May (23.68 ºC) and minimum in the month of
January (1.59 ºC). Maximum rainfall was recorded in the three monsoon months of July
(291.83 mm), August (285.38 mm), September (207.06 mm) and minimum rainfall registered
in the month of November (8.75 mm). Figure 2.10 and 2.11 shows the graphical
representation of the rainfall and temperature.
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Choi et al., 2004; Ibraham et al., 2005; Laha et al., 2006). Nowadays, mapping land use /
land cover is done in a standardized method with accuracy. On the terrestrial surface of earth,
land use/land cover change is termed as human modification. Change detection is a way to
identify the process of observing the phenomena of an object in different time series (Singh,
1989). To monitor and manage the natural resources and urban development, quantitative
analysis of the spatial distribution and spatial pattern is very important (Macleod and
Congalton, 1998). The land use depends upon the objectives of life of the people living there.
Land use represents the interaction of physical and economic factors (Stamp, 1963).
Nowadays, urbanization has become an environmental problem globally. The
sufficient distribution and coverage of the urbanized land and the impact of urbanization on
biodiversity, ecosystem and environmental quality are matter of concern for scholars from the
different research field (Breuste et al., 1998; Pickett et al., 2001). It is now an established fact
that the spatial pattern of a landscape directly affects the ecological processes (Wu and
Loucks, 1995). At the same time, the inflow of people from local or distant places to urban
area changes the dynamics and morphology of the town and badly affects the productive land
as well as the human and natural resources. New developed and innovative approaches
related to urban land use planning and management as well as sustainable development have
been proposed and discussed (Kaiser et al., 1995). The spatial and temporal information
provided by remote sensing platforms are broadly applied and used for understanding and
developing the characteristics of the spatial processes (Herold, et al. 2005).
For the present study remote sensing techniques used for the assessment of land use /
land cover dynamics of mountainous part of Nainital district, Landsat TM 2010 was acquired
from USGS Earth Explorer. Supervised classification technique has been employed, using
Maximum Likelihood Technique in Erdas 9.3. Figure 2.12 and figure 2.13 reveals that the
image was categorized into five different classes, viz., built-up area, vegetation, agricultural
land, barren land, and water bodies. Table 2.6 reveals that out of the total area (1787.11 km2)
under the consideration vegetation covers 1328.21 km2 or 74.32 percent, cultivated land
includes 405.63 km2 or 22.68 percent, barren land occupies 40.70 km2 or 2.28 percent, built-
up area stretches up to 9.66 km2 or 0.54 percent and water bodies are distributed over 3.22
km2 or 0.18 percent of the study area.
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Urbanization gives away itself through temporal and spatial change in social, economic,
ecological, technical and demographic facets of human life (Mishra, 1978). In this process
large numbers of people are accumulated in urban areas from different parts of the country
(Hope, 1942). Table 2.7 indicates that out of all six blocks, Bhimtal block shares high
population (107453 persons) followed by Okhalkanda (48337 persons) and low population
share in Kotabagh block (11539 persons). This difference is due to the impact of urbanization
in Bhimtal block where it received migration from its surrounding area. Figure 2.14 shows
the decadal demography change of the study area.
According to 2011 census the population of the study area is 279040. The decadal
population growth rate from 1991 to 2001 of study area was observed highest in Dhari Block
as 23.50 percent followed by Bhimtal Block as 22.60 percent and Kotabagh Block as 13.53
percent and the least population growth rate is found over Ramgarh Block. In 2011, the
growth rate shows a declining trend with 13.62 percent in Dhari, 10.59 percent in
Okhalkanda and 10.33 percent in Kotabagh. Table 2.8 illustrates that a huge change in
growth rate is observed in Bhimtal block with 16 percent increase. Figure 2.15 reveals the
decadal change in the population of the study area. The decadal growth rate of population
change expresses the expansion of urbanization in its surrounding areas, road connectivity,
growing urban centre nearby, etc.
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Table 2.8 shows that in 1991 the total population of the Okhalkanda Block was highest
among all the other blocks, Bhimtal and Betalghat stands at second and third position
respectively. In 2001, Bhimtal Block held the highest population and in 2011 again Bhimtal
Block holds the highest population growth. Interestingly it is observed that in Betalghat
Block from 1991-2011, the female population ratio increased in comparison to the male
population. Figure 2.15 clearly shows the decadal population change of the study area.
According to the Census of India 2011, District Nainital has the third rank in
population and it is one of the highly urbanized districts of Uttarakhand. More than 38.94
percent of people are residing in urban areas. The population density of the district is 225
persons per sq. km. which is more than the state average of 189 persons per sq. km. Table
2.10 reveals that the population density in study area is uneven. Figure 2.17 shows the
population density map of the study area. The highest population density is recorded in
Bhimtal Block (553 persons) per sq. km. from 1991 to 2011. The lowest population density is
recorded in Kotabagh block (154 persons) per sq. km. High population density is outcome of
infrastructure facilities, modern means, commercial centre and communication, etc.
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Table 2.9 reveals the demographic pattern and trend of the study area, that in 1991 out
of the total population Okhalkanda registered the highest population growth rate of 21.73
percent and, Bhimtal registered 23.63 percent in 2001 and 23.27 percent in 2011, while
Kotabagh block has the minimum of 5.18 percent, 5.04 percent, 5.16 percent respectively.
The increase in male population recorded highest in the decadal year of 1991, 2001, and 2011
in Bhimtal block by 21.60 percent, 24.12 percent and 23.67 and the female population
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recorded highest in the decadal year of 1991, 2001, and 2011 in Bhimtal block by 20.73
percent, 23.12 percent, 22.86 percent respectively. Kotabagh block shows the low trend of
male as well as female demographic trend and pattern minimum in decadal year of 1991,
2001 and 2011. Thus population growth in the study area is increasing continuously.
The population density of the study area indicates that from 1991-2011 highest
population density was experienced in Bhimtal Block and lowest in Kotabagh block. The
leading population density in Bhimtal block was due to urbanization impact and lowest
density in Kotabagh is of migration & relocation of family in search of better living. The
table 2.10 also reveals that highest population density is recorded in decade 2001 -2011 and
decadal change of population density with maximums has recorded in 2001-2011 than in
1991-2001,thus it can be inferred that population density is increasing constantly
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Betalghat 143 35463 247.99 40007 279.77 41535 290.45 31.78 10.68
Ramgarh 142 33163 233.54 37012 260.65 39830 280.49 27.11 19.84
Bhimtal 94.12 42029 446.55 48501 515.31 52043 552.94 68.76 37.63
Dhari 104.12 20052 192.58 26213 251.76 30346 291.45 59.18 98.87
Kotabagh 74.57 8947 119.98 10347 138.75 11539 154.74 18.77 15.99
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Fig. 2.17 Block Wise Decadal population density map of the study area
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2.5. Settlements
It is always been a matter of concern by the urban theorists how cities form and
evolve over a period of time (Geddes, 1915; Lynch 1960; Mumford 1961). For understanding
the pattern and function of a city, it is important to examine the pattern and function which
co-evolve over space and time. Historical records give the picture of urban structure how they
evolve and change over time by means of transportation and communication, which are the
key determinants that govern how and where settlement pattern evolved. Urbanizing regions
provide an excellent laboratory to test hypothesis on emergent human ecological phenomena
(Alberti and Waddel, 2000). A complex set of social, political, economic, institutional and
bio-physical factors drives urbanization and affects when, where and how and by what rate
urban development proceeds. Institutional settings and policies governs the process of
urbanization and mediate the complex relationships between humans and ecological
processes (Folke et al., 2005).
Although the influences related to the physical conditions remain more or less
constant over a period of time, the effects exerted by cultural influences are variable and
depend to a large extent upon the cultural level of the people. In the primary stages of
grouping it seems to have been the first effort of man arising out of such needs as the sense of
security, cooperation in agriculture and other activities and to lead a community life.
Uttarakhand was originally settled by Kols, an aboriginal people of the Dravidian physical
type who were later joined by Indo-Aryan Khas tribes that arrived from the northwest during
the Vedic period. Among the first dynasties of Garhwal and Kumaun were the Kuninands in
the 2nd Century B.C. who practiced an early form of Shaivism. Between 7th and 14th
Centuries, the Katuri dynasty of Khas origin dominated lands of varying extent from the
Katyor to valley of Kumaun region. By the medieval period, the region was consolidated
under the Garhwal Kingdom in the west and the Kumaun Kingdom in the east. From the 13th
- 18th Century, Kumaun prospered under the Chand Rajas who had their origins in the plains
of India. During this period Garhwal was unified under the rule of Parmar. Panwar Rajas,
who along with the mass migration of Brahmins and Rajputs also arrived from the plains. In
1791, the expanding Gurkha Empire of Nepal overran Almora, the seat of Kumaun Kingdom.
After the Anglo-Nepalese War in 1816 a rump portion of the Garhwal Kingdom was re-
established. During the post-independence period, the Tehri princely state was merged into
Uttar Pradesh, where Uttarakhand represented Garhwal and Kumaun divisions. After the
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merger in Uttar Pradesh, new highways developed over the period of time. Transportation,
communication and basic amenities facilities enhanced the settlement pattern concentrated in
the foothills as well as in the hilly region like Bhimtal, Bhowali, Nainital, Ramgarh, Ranikhet
etc.
With the passage of time it was a compulsion to expand due to increasing population
and also to keep pace with changing requirement. Thus, in each case, whether it was the need
to relocate the dwellings according to the expansion of agriculture areas in different
directions of the village or to realign the grouping of houses due to a major change in the land
use, there was a definite tendency towards dispersal as per requirements. Thus, in several
villages in the mountainous part of Uttarakhand such a transformation has taken place
obviously due to developed methods and extensions of agriculture.
Firstly, the settlement pattern came into existence after the ruin of Aurungzeb. People
migrated from plains to hilly areas in view of safety. Besides, settlements have also come up
in the foothill zone due to the insecure conditions in the past and in order to secure
themselves and their belongings against dacoits, anti-social elements and wild animals.
People preferred to live close together for safety. Traditional settlements in hilly region of
Uttarakhand have usually developed on relatively flatter terrains which are often considered
more stable and less prone to natural hazard like landslides and cloudburst. Most of the hilly
settlement regions located on southern slopes have sufficient solar exposure throughout the
day and protection from northern cold winds, so that comfortable living conditions can be
achieved with minimal consumption of energy. Proximity to surface water source is one of
the main criteria for selecting site for settlement. Each type of settlement has its own unique
issues for development. Planning and designing of buildings vary in these settlements. For
example, in ridge settlement important buildings like temples, shops, public buildings like
post offices and schools, open grounds and other public areas/spaces are often located nearby
the ridge and general houses are located relatively at lower areas. Whereas in valley
settlements, main public places, temples and other public community areas and open grounds
are generally located in valley and houses are located in upper regions of sloping terrain.
Vernacular buildings are generally clustered along the open space for different activities i.e.
social and religious gathering, celebrating functions and ceremonies (Saini, 1991). The
placement of buildings around the open space is such that every building gets sufficient direct
solar exposure and no building casts its shadow on other buildings. The buildings in hilly
areas are mostly rectangular in shape and constructed with locally available material which
are having good climatic response. Floor to ceiling height is usually kept between 8 to 9 feet
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which is low as per contemporary buildings standards and as adopted in new buildings.
Seismically these houses are better than the contemporary buildings. Indigenous construction
techniques are adopted for construction of buildings which are developed with local
materials, have good climatic response, maintain indoor comfort conditions and have very
good response against earthquakes.
Towns in Uttarakhand, where the concept of planned urban settlement does not seem
to exist, are a sort of natural growth in their physical and cultural setting. Thus, although they
do not possess well-defined shapes and a distinct internal plan, there is considerable
organization, both in the internal structure and in external profile of towns. It is very closely
related to the attributes of the site and its cultural setting. The configuration of the site,
surface water, nature of soil, tracks, roads and the level of security in the past along with the
present social structure of the town are significant factors in the evolution of urban settlement
pattern.
Patterns of settlement have been defined as the relationship between one house or
building and another. The pattern of settlement may be easily identified by reading and
observing a large scale map, like that of the topographical maps prepared by the Survey of
India or the Ordinance Survey of Britain. The term "pattern of settlement" has its own shape.
The urban settlements have different shapes and sizes. The site of the town and the
surrounding topography and terrain influences the shape and size of a town. In fact, the
pattern of urban settlement is the result of a series of adjustments to the environment which
have been going on for centuries. More ever, socio-cultural factors like caste structure, living
in a town and the functional needs of the people also have close bearing on its shape and size.
In the valleys in mountainous areas, the pattern of settlement is generally linear, while in the
fertile plains their shapes may be rectangular, near the lakes and ponds the settlements are of
circular or semi-circular type, while at the cross roads, the shape may be rectangular, circular
or triangular (Hussain, 2003). In exceptional cases the settlement pattern resembles the
nebular form and on the river terraces of the stair-case type. Urban Settlements pattern of the
study area are discussed in the following paragraphs.
There are mainly three types of urban settlement patterns in the study area. These are
clustered settlement, semi-clustered settlement and the dispersed settlement. These patterns
are further divisible into sub-classes. A brief account of these classes and sub-classes is
presented hereafter:
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i. Clustered Settlement:
a. Linear Pattern: It is very common along the main roads or along streams. It may
have a single row of houses arranged along the main artery. It may develop in course
of time into some other type if the conditions are favourable. Such types of
settlements are dissembled mainly in the towns of Nainital, Bhimtal and Bhowali
town areas.
b. Rectangular Pattern: This type of settlement finds its place around the rectangular
shape of the fields. There are places where considerably thick and flat landscapes are
available, though not continued but scattered are available, rectangular patterns are
best suited for these conditions. These types of settlements are found mainly in the
towns of Bhowali, Nainital, Bhimtal and Mukteshwar.
c. Nuclear Pattern: Nuclear pattern of settlement is mainly found near rural and urban
fringe area where a few villages also attached with the town area. The pattern of
house is single and scattered. A minor physical obstacle may be the cause of such a
form, which may include a nala, a pond, a mound or hillock, an intervening road
(Ahir, 2001). Such a pattern of settlement is found particularly around the
Naukuchiyatal in Bhimtal town area.
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came under British rule after the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814–16). In the recent times,
Bhimtal gained importance when it was setup as an industrial area in 1980s. Later, some
institutions like the Birla Institute of Applied Sciences, Department of Management Studies
of Kumaun University gave it further importance. After creation of the state of Uttarakhand,
the government offices were shifted from Nainital to Vikas Bhawan at Bhimtal. With this the
township grew even more with influx of people from nearby centres.
The three emerging urban centres of District Nainital are: Mukteshwar –famous for its
Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) and as a tourist destination with beautiful view of
the Greater Himalayas, Jeolikote – similar to Bhowali as it falls enroute the highways leading
to Nainital and Almora, Garampani – which is strategic insofar as it is adjoin the juncture
Khairna from where roads bifurcate to Almora and Ranikhet, two of the oldest townships of
District Almora.
2.6 Conclusion
The study area lies in the mountainous part of District Nainital of Kumaun Region of
the state of Uttarakhand. Okhalkanda development block is the largest of the six blocks
accounting for over 50% of the total area of the district, while Kotabagh comprises the least,
i.e. 6.2%. Furthermore, part of Kotabagh is the plain area. Geologically the major portion of
the study area falls under 'Ramgarh Group' comprising mainly of Nagthat, Berinag
formations and is positioned just south of the Main Boundary Thrust. The maximum part of
District Nainital falls under Lesser Himalayan region of Kumaun Himalaya with only a
narrow belt comprising of the Shiwalik hills in the southern parts. The altitude of this area
varies from 327 to 2623 meters from mean sea level which gives a wide range of vegetation.
About 68% of the region falls in the absolute relief category of 1000 m – 2000 m, which also
explains the high density of population in this belt, while about 89% of the area is under the
200 m – 600 m range of relative relief. As for the slope of the land, almost 57% lies in the
range 15° – 30°. Followed by 23.05% for <15° category, indicate that the most of the area is
suitable for habitation and roads with only about 20% of the area having >30° slope. The
district is criss-crossed by many perennial and seasonal rivers and rivulets forming a
generally dendrite pattern. The main drainage basins are of river Kosi and Gaula.
The wide range of altitude gives vegetation in the mountainous part of district
Nainital a high variability over a short distance. Vegetation changes vertically because of the
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changes in temperature that come with a changing altitude, but the slope has always been a
very determining factor. There are mainly three types of vegetation found in the study area,
viz. subtropical forest, temperate forest, and subalpine moist deciduous forest.
The present study has employed remote sensing techniques used for the assessment of
land use / cover dynamics of the mountainous part of District Nainital. Supervised
classification technique has been employed on Landsat TM 2010 image acquired from USGS
Earth Explorer using Maximum Likelihood Technique using Erdas 9.3 software. The image
was categorized into five different classes, viz., built-up area, vegetation, agricultural land,
barren land, and water bodies. It was found that out of the total area (1787.11 km2) under the
consideration, vegetation covers 74.31 percent, cultivated land includes 22.69 percent, barren
land occupies 2.28 percent, built-up area covers 0.54 percent and water bodies are distributed
over only 0.18 percent of the study area.
The census data shows that in both the decades of 1991-2001 and 2001-2011, Bhimtal
Block recorded the maximum growth rates of 46.50% and 36.59%, respectively while
Kotabagh Block has the least growth during the same periods, being 3.47% and 5.11%,
respectively. It is interesting to note that the density also followed a similar pattern being the
highest for Bhimtal block and lowest for Kotabagh block across the decades. It has been
observed that Dhari block had the most increase in density during 1991-2001 (30.7%) and
also during 2001-2011 (15.8%) while all other blocks recorded a decrease in the density
during 2001-2011 as compared to 1991-2001.
71