The land use and land cover changes, 1994–2024: implications for livelihood options and employment opportunities in Dhanbad, India

• Published in: Spatial information research (Online) Vol. 33; no. 1; p. 3
• Main Authors: Ranjan, Avinash, Mandal, Kajal Kumar, Mallick, Sambit
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Singapore Springer Nature Singapore 01.02.2025; 대한공간정보학회
• Subjects: Database Management; Earth and Environmental Science; Geographical Information Systems/Cartography; Geography; Original Article; Remote Sensing/Photogrammetry; 공학일반; LULC; Coal mine; MLC; Remote Sensing; Supervised classification; Image classification; Livelihoods
• ISSN: 2366-3286; 2366-3294
• DOI: 10.1007/s41324-025-00605-4

Focusing on the coal mining and potential alternative livelihoods in the context of global net-zero targets by using Remote Sensing (RS) and geospatial techniques, this article examines the Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) changes in Dhanbad district during 1994–2024. Deploying the Landsat-7, 8 and 9 MSS Datasets, supervised classification with a Maximum Likelihood Classifier (MLC) and validation through high-resolution imagery and field observations ensure an 85% accuracy rate. While agriculture land occupies 60% of the area and provides employment to 24% of the population, aquaculture development is supported by a 140% rise in water bodies mostly from repurposed mining sites. Agricultural areas and natural vegetation decrease by 12% and 28% respectively exhibiting resource demands. There is a 275% rise in settlement areas owing to coal mining-related urbanization and population rise. Even though coal mining areas occupy 3–4% of the district’s territory, it is a major reservoir of coal mines in India attracting a large number of migrant workers. Thus, there is an imperative to emphasize the necessity of diversifying the economy in view of the ongoing coal phaseout that would serve as the foundation of policy proposal in pursuit of Dhanbad’s economic growth, environmental sustainability and social wellbeing.