Analyzing Temporal Changes in Land Use in Response to Population Growth in Malegaon Tehsil of Nashik District

Abstract

Land is considered an essential natural resource, fundamental for economic and social development. Land utilization is the way in which land is used to manage a variety of human uses (agriculture, forestry, pasture, mining, transportation, industrial, commercial, residential, recreational etc) at a point in time and space. Human needs have a profound influence on the patterns of land use ranging from agrarian and settlements to transportation, defence, and recreation. Rapid population growth increases pressure on finite land resources, which calls for periodic reconsideration of land use patterns. Since land is understood as a limited resource, it becomes a critical component of short-term and long-term land use planning. Malegaon city, the administrative headquarters of Malegaon tehsil, sits in Nashik district, Maharashtra, making it a prime site for land use analysis as it straddles the Mumbai–Agra National Highway (NH-3). The tehsil area, with an area of 1,818.44 sq. km and a population of 955,594 with a population density of 526 persons per sq. km (Census 2011). The proposed research seeks to determine the causes and impacts of land use change and emerging geo-environmental issues in the region.