Land Use Land Cover Changes: Conversion of Agricultural Land in District Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan

Abstract

Changes in land use and land cover (LULC) pose significant environmental threats, including global warming, reduced biodiversity, and increased greenhouse emissions. These changes lead to soil erosion, landslides, land degradation, and water contamination, ultimately endangering human health and food security. In countries like Pakistan, rapid urbanization and population growth are key drivers of LULC transformation, resulting in the loss of fertile agricultural land to urban development. This study examines Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) changes and their impacts on agricultural land in Hyderabad District from 1972 to 2023. Using advance Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques,Landsat satellite imagery from 1972, 1986, 2000, and 2023 was processed using the Maximum Likelihood Supervised Classification method in ArcGIS 10.8. The study analyzes LULC changes across four Talukas including Hyderabad City, Qasimabad, Latifabad, and Hyderabad (Rural). The findings reveal significant transformations in LULC classes, indicating substantial land use changes over the 51-year period. Between 1972 and 2023, Hyderabad District experienced significant land use changes, with built-up areas expanding by 184% (from 123.7 km² to 351.7 km²). This growth came at the expense of agricultural land (-30.6%), orchards (-16.8%), and barren land (-36.5%). Rapid urbanization, driven by rural-to-urban migration, is the primary cause, leading to ecological degradation and exacerbating climate change impacts.