Changing urban land use and its impact on the environment ( A Case Study Of Jaipur City )
Dr. K. N. Joshi
Fellow ( Associate Professor )
Institute of Development Studies
8-B,Jhanlana Institutional Area
Jaipur-302 004 (India)
E-mail:- knjoshi@idsj.org
Fax:-91-141-2705 438
Phone (O)2705 726,706 457- ( R )2780 407
Dr C. R. Suthar
Assistant Professor
Department of Public Administration
CSSH, M.L.Sukhadiya University,Udaipur
Phone 91-294-2414 150
Abstract
Land is always in a constant flux of continual change due to transformation resulting from either natural
processes or human activities. Large scale of land transformation is presently witnessed in and around
major cities of India. Some of these are very dynamic and rapid particularly in the urban fringe. The main
factors affecting the urban fringe land transformation are growth of industrial, commercial and institutional
activities. Secondly due to urbanization and increasing trend towards urban migration for employment and
other developmental opportunity. This helps in spatial extension of urban areas engulfing particularly urban-rural
fringe. The present study is aimed to bring out the temporal change of urban landuse and its impact on
ecology and environment of Jaipur city by using remote sensing technique as well as conventional method.
During the course of study a series of thematic maps covering ecological parameters and anthropogenic
activities have been prepared to depict the changes and it’s impact on environment vis-à-vis landuse.The
Jaipur city has experienced it’s expansion at the cost of peripheral agricultural land, quite often very fertile
and productive. This process has resulted in the conversion of agricultural lands into non-agricultural uses.
Apart from the diversion of lands for non-agricultural uses, the extensive damage to ecology and
environment due to industrial waste, pollution, and misuse of land can also be seen in the urban areas and
its periphery. One other important impact is noticed on the natural hydrological system of the city. As the
urban areas spread the natural hydrological features like rivers, nallah, water bodies comes in the heart of
the city.They are subjected to encroachment by the people. This results in either completely or partly block
of the system.. Hence this process on one hand breaks the hydrological system and on other hand creates
a permanent recurrent flood damage zone in the city area.
Physical environment of Jaipur
Jaipur is located on 26° 55’ north latitude and 75° 49’ east longitude. It’s muncipal boundary extends from
26 degree 46 minutes north latitude to 27 degree 01 minutes north latitude and 75 degree 37 minutes east
longitude to 76 degree 57 minutes .east longitude. The city is surrounded by the Nahargarh hills in the
north and Jhalana in the east, which is a part of Aravalli hills - ranges. To the south and the west of the
city are also prevailing hillocks but they are isolated and discontinuous in formation. The southern end of
the city is open to plain and stretches far and wide towards saganer and beyond. The walled city was
originally located on the rocky street to provide an easy drainage system on either side of the city but the.future exertion of the city took place on the south and west on the alluvial plains formed in the
confluence’s zone of the Amani Shah nala in the west and Jawahar Nagar nala in the east and beyond.
Topography
The general slope of the Jaipur city and its surroundings is from north to south and then to south-east.
Nearly all the ephemeral streams flow in this direction. Higher elevations in the north exist in the form of
low, flat-topped hills of Nahargarh (587 meters). Jaigarh, Amber and Amargarh, which are deeply
dissected and eroded. An isolated hillock called “Moti Dungari” upon which an old royal castle exists, is
near the Rajasthan University. Further in the south, topographical levels of the plain areas varies between
280 meters along Bandi and Dhund rivers in the south to som 530 meters in the north east of Chomu
near Samod hills. The overall trend is a decline of level from the areas bordering the hills in the north to
plain in the south slopes of the plain areas are in general gentle.
Drainage
The natural drainage of the Jaipur city is largely technically affected. It shows intense gully erosion
particularly in the northern hilly region. Dhund river and Amanishah nala form a fork like drainage pattern
in the confluence zone of which the major part of Jaipur city is situated. The Amanishah nala, which
originates from the western slopes of Jaigarh hills, flows northwards in the upper reaches, turns south and
south-west in its middle course and flows towards east with a broad semi-circle. Finally it joins river
Dhund further down stream. There is another small drainage system in the north foothills which now a
days discharges the city’s waste effluents into an artificially impounded lake called the Jal Mahal (Man
Sagar). Jal Mahal lake is a large cesspool now of effluent waste water changing its profile from muddy
water mixed with effluents and sludge during rainy season to a dried large puddle surrounded by parched
earthen floor during summer seasons.
Climate
The Jaipur is located in the semi-Arid Zone of India. It has characterized by high temperature, low rainfall
and mild winter. The mean temperature of Jaipur is 36 0 C varying from 18 0 C in winter (January) to 40 0 C in
summer (June). Thus the January and June are the coldest and hotest months.. The normal rainfall of
Jaipur is 600 mm; nearly 90 percent of which takes place in the summer monsoon period i.e. from June
to September, the rest comes from the winter cyclones.
