Assessing the Effect of Land Use Land Cover Change on the Water Quality Index of a River Basin Using GIS and Remote Sensing Techniques

Water pollution is a major issue faced in both developed and developing countries. Land use land cover changes in urbanization, industrialization, and agricultural processes tend to have negative impacts on water quality at all scales. The water quality index serves as a commonly employed instrument for addressing data organization issues and assessing the effectiveness of management approaches aimed at enhancing water quality. The objectives of this study are estimation of water quality index (WQI) from water quality parameters for the study site using various methods and in determining the influence of land use land cover (LULC) change in water quality for the site. Using WQI, the classification of water quality can be done. GIS and remote sensing technology is used for estimating the LULC change for two time periods. The water quality parameters for calculating the WQI are collected from the Kerala State Pollution Control Board. Estimating WQI and identifying the relationship between LULC and water quality is important for effective and sustainable surface water quality management especially in reducing the pollutant concentration in water body.