Development of a GIS based application for selection of villages for sodic land reclamation
L. I. M. Rao, Niva Kiran Verma, N. K. Srivastava, and A.N. Singh
Abstract
Sodic land reclamation project (pilot phase) was taken up in 10 districts of Uttar Pradesh during 1992-2000. Implementation of sodic land reclamation program requires, primarily demarcation of villages as per sodic land area, groundwater quality, depth to groundwater and distance from perennial drain. Hence to do this GIS was used intensively as it enables criteria based analysis. Thematic layers were prepared using different sources of information. Total 6 thematic layers viz. sodic land map, drainage map, depth to groundwater contour map, village boundary map and groundwater quality (Electrical conductivity EC, Residual Sodium Carbonate RSC) maps were implemented in GIS. Using the analysis criteria a methodology for the selection of reclamation sites were developed. The process is accurate, fast, flexible and can be adopted to new areas.