The city of Vadodara, India is prone to frequent floods and the most severe floods were received ... more The city of Vadodara, India is prone to frequent floods and the most severe floods were received in 1994, 1996, 2005 and 2014 in the recent past. The city has an area of 159 km² and a population of 1.6 million according to the 2010–11 census. Vadodara receives an average rainfall of 1020 mm. Vadodara sits on the banks of the River Vishwamitri, fed by the Ajwa Reservoir. The width of the river decreases as it flows through the city and is subjected to the drainage of the city's sewage and effluents from nearby industries. Alterations of its banks and human encroachment have reduced its width further. A large number of wetlands have been reclaimed and construction has been carried out over them. The number of slums has also increased by a great extent from 192 slums in 1972 to 397 in 2013. The stormwater drainage network in the city is also inadequate. The study aims at highlighting the role of change in land use pattern, unplanned development, depletion of water bodies and building of slums along the river banks in causing frequent and severe floods in the city using GIS. The annual rainfall data of the city was obtained and subjected to graphical and statistical operations which revealed that heavy rainfall is not the only factor causing floods in the city. The low lying zones were identified and the direction of the flow of rainwater was determined using an elevation map. This also gave the reasons for severe waterlogging in some areas of the city. The historic LANDSAT images of the city from 1991 to 2014 were obtained from the USGS Global Visualization (GloVis) Viewer. The images were analysed under different band combinations using the Integrated Land and Water Information System (ILWIS 3.4). The results show the continuous increase in the urban sprawl, increase in construction throughout the city, especially in the Western parts and increase in the density of buildings. The area of the existing water bodies is also decreasing due to dumping of wastes and construction along the banks. The presence of slums has increased by a great extent throughout the city, especially along the banks of Vishwamitri river reducing the width of the river and causing frequent floods. Unplanned construction has been carried out in the low lying zones, obstructing the flow of water into the sinks to cause water logging in these areas.
Sal (Shorea robusta) is one of the most important timber-yielding trees in India, spread over an ... more Sal (Shorea robusta) is one of the most important timber-yielding trees in India, spread over an estimated area of 13 million hectares. Sal occurs gregariously on the southern slopes of the Himalayas and is also distributed on the plains and lower foothills of the Himalayas including the valleys. Regeneration is considered as a key process for the existence of a species in the community as it maintains desired composition and stocking. Presence of ample number of seedlings and saplings in a given population indicates successful regeneration. This study is a comparative assessment of the natural regeneration of Sal under protected and unprotected conditions and consequently aims at identifying the environmental and anthropogenic factors influencing the regeneration of Sal. It is essential to study the influence of protection and conservation on the regeneration potential of Sal for the efficient management and silviculture of these forests. The major factors influencing the regeneration of Sal were identified as soil characteristics, structure and floristic composition of the forest, relationship of Sal with its associate species, canopy density, light conditions, rainfall, temperature, frost, drought, forest fires and other important anthropogenic factors such as grazing, firewood collection, seed collection, lopping and harvesting of non-timber forest products. The degree of disturbances faced by the protected and unprotected forests were sharply contrasting, enabling an efficient comparative study. The study was carried out in two different forest patches, one under complete protection and the other exposed to anthropogenic disturbance. However, as the two patches are in close proximity, climatic conditions are identical. The two sites are located in the Doon Valley region, on the Himalayan foothills in the Uttarakhand State of India and under the management of Kalsi Forest Division. Nearly 80% of the Doon Valley forests are Sal forests. Phytosociological analysis and soil sampling was carried out in the months of January and February 2015. The sampling and data collection was done by dividing the forest structure into three layers, trees, shrubs and herbs. Saplings and seedlings were included in the shrub and herb layers respectively. This data was then quantitatively analysed to calculate the density, frequency, abundance, Importance Value Index, basal area and Whitford Index separately for the three layers. The data was also analysed for α-diversity and estimation of other diversity, similarity, richness, dominance indices and evenness. Sal was the only species found in the tree layer, indicating its complete dominance in this layer. 21 species were found in the shrub layer of the protected site, while 19 species were found in the unprotected site. However, the density of Sal saplings was found to be 340 individuals/ha in the unprotected site, significantly higher than the protected site having 120 individuals/ha. The major species found to be competing extensively with Sal were Clerodendrum viscosum, Mallotus philippensis, Murraya koenigii, Jasminum sp and Lantana camara, thus hindering its regeneration. The most significant results were obtained from the herb layer, as the density of Sal seedlings was found to be only 20 individuals/ha in the unprotected site, while the protected site had 80 individuals/ha, clearly indicating the lack of Sal regeneration under disturbed conditions in the unprotected site. Echinocarpus, Oplismenus compositus and Rungia pectinata were observed to be the species competing with the Sal seedlings in the herb layer. The graphical representation of the density of Sal trees, saplings and seedlings of both the sites clearly indicates the better regeneration of Sal under protected conditions. Although the regeneration of Sal is better in the protected site, it is not as high as expected, due to the high canopy density obstructing the sunlight and rainwater reaching the lower layers and the forest floor and excessive growth of competitive species. This indicates that protection should be coupled with appropriate silvicultural and forest management strategies to maximise the natural regeneration. The correlation analysis of the physico-chemical properties of soil with the floristic composition of the shrub layer shows that pH is the only negatively correlated soil property and acidic soils are necessary for the healthy growth and composition of Sal forests.
In Central and North Gujarat, particularly Panchmahal, Dahod, Sabarkantha and Banaskantha distric... more In Central and North Gujarat, particularly Panchmahal, Dahod, Sabarkantha and Banaskantha districts animal husbandry is a major economic base for the farmer community. Fodder winter maize is used as feedstock for the cattle. Therefore, winter fodder maize is grown as a major agricultural crop in these areas. In order to provide better feedstock for the cattle, growing good quality fodder winter maize crop is essential. The study aims at improving the quality of this crop through the minimum use of inorganic (chemical) fertilizers and maximising the use of organic and biofertilizers. Inorganic fertilizers display ill-effects on the environment such as reducing the soil quality and fertility, leaching out and polluting water basins, destroying microorganisms and friendly insects, making the crop susceptible to the attack of diseases and also reducing the nutritional quality of the crop, thus causing irreparable damage. The study is a comparative analysis of the effects of inorganic, organic and biofertilizers on the growth and quality of the crop. The experiment was carried out by growing fodder winter maize in different pots having specific quantitative ratio of inorganic, organic and biofertilizers. Each of the pots were analysed with respect to the growth parameters of the crop.
Key Words : Fertilizer, Agriculture, Biofertilizers, Soil quality, Spot cultivation
The city of Vadodara is prone to frequent floods and the most severe floods were received in 1994... more The city of Vadodara is prone to frequent floods and the most severe floods were received in 1994, 1996, 2005 and 2014 in the recent past. The city has an area of 149 km² and a population of 4.1 million according to the 2010–11 census. Vadodara receives an average rainfall of 970 mm. Vadodara sits on the banks of the River Vishwamitri, fed by the Ajwa Reservoir. The width of the river decreases as it flows through the city and is subjected to the drainage of the city's sewage and effluents from nearby industries. Alteration of its banks and human encroachment have reduced its width further. A large number of wetlands have been reclaimed and construction has been carried out over them. The construction in the city has increased by about 50 km2 from 1991 to 2005, but the area covered by water bodies has reduced by nearly half from 4.38 to 2.77 km2. The number of slums have also increased by a great extent from 192 slums in 1972 to 397 in 2013. The storm water drainage network in the city is also inadequate. The study aims at highlighting the role of change in land use pattern, unplanned development, depletion of water bodies and building of slums along the river banks in causing frequent and severe floods in the city using GIS. The annual rainfall data of the city was obtained and subjected to graphical and statistical operations which revealed that heavy rainfall is not the only factor causing floods in the city. The low lying zones were identified and the direction of the flow of rainwater was determined using an elevation map. This also gave the reasons for severe waterlogging in some areas of the city. The historic LANDSAT images of the city from 1991 to 2014 were obtained from the USGS Global Visualisation (GloVis) Viewer. The images were analysed under different band combinations using the Integrated Land and Water Information System (ILWIS 3.4). The results show the continuous increase in the urban sprawl, increase in construction throughout the city, especially in the western parts and increase in the density of buildings. It was also revealed that the number of water bodies has decreased, which used to act as sinks for the rainwater. The area of the existing water bodies is also decreasing due to dumping of wastes and construction along the banks. The presence of slums has increased by a great extent throughout the city, especially along the banks of Vishwamitri River reducing the width of the river and causing frequent floods. Unplanned construction has been carried out in the low lying zones, obstructing the flow of water into the sinks to cause waterlogging in these areas.
Key Words: Urban floods, Vadodara, Vishwamitri, Land use pattern, GIS, Water bodies, Rainwater, Unplanned development, Slums
The city of Vadodara, India is prone to frequent floods and the most severe floods were received ... more The city of Vadodara, India is prone to frequent floods and the most severe floods were received in 1994, 1996, 2005 and 2014 in the recent past. The city has an area of 159 km² and a population of 1.6 million according to the 2010–11 census. Vadodara receives an average rainfall of 1020 mm. Vadodara sits on the banks of the River Vishwamitri, fed by the Ajwa Reservoir. The width of the river decreases as it flows through the city and is subjected to the drainage of the city's sewage and effluents from nearby industries. Alterations of its banks and human encroachment have reduced its width further. A large number of wetlands have been reclaimed and construction has been carried out over them. The number of slums has also increased by a great extent from 192 slums in 1972 to 397 in 2013. The stormwater drainage network in the city is also inadequate. The study aims at highlighting the role of change in land use pattern, unplanned development, depletion of water bodies and building of slums along the river banks in causing frequent and severe floods in the city using GIS. The annual rainfall data of the city was obtained and subjected to graphical and statistical operations which revealed that heavy rainfall is not the only factor causing floods in the city. The low lying zones were identified and the direction of the flow of rainwater was determined using an elevation map. This also gave the reasons for severe waterlogging in some areas of the city. The historic LANDSAT images of the city from 1991 to 2014 were obtained from the USGS Global Visualization (GloVis) Viewer. The images were analysed under different band combinations using the Integrated Land and Water Information System (ILWIS 3.4). The results show the continuous increase in the urban sprawl, increase in construction throughout the city, especially in the Western parts and increase in the density of buildings. The area of the existing water bodies is also decreasing due to dumping of wastes and construction along the banks. The presence of slums has increased by a great extent throughout the city, especially along the banks of Vishwamitri river reducing the width of the river and causing frequent floods. Unplanned construction has been carried out in the low lying zones, obstructing the flow of water into the sinks to cause water logging in these areas.
Sal (Shorea robusta) is one of the most important timber-yielding trees in India, spread over an ... more Sal (Shorea robusta) is one of the most important timber-yielding trees in India, spread over an estimated area of 13 million hectares. Sal occurs gregariously on the southern slopes of the Himalayas and is also distributed on the plains and lower foothills of the Himalayas including the valleys. Regeneration is considered as a key process for the existence of a species in the community as it maintains desired composition and stocking. Presence of ample number of seedlings and saplings in a given population indicates successful regeneration. This study is a comparative assessment of the natural regeneration of Sal under protected and unprotected conditions and consequently aims at identifying the environmental and anthropogenic factors influencing the regeneration of Sal. It is essential to study the influence of protection and conservation on the regeneration potential of Sal for the efficient management and silviculture of these forests. The major factors influencing the regeneration of Sal were identified as soil characteristics, structure and floristic composition of the forest, relationship of Sal with its associate species, canopy density, light conditions, rainfall, temperature, frost, drought, forest fires and other important anthropogenic factors such as grazing, firewood collection, seed collection, lopping and harvesting of non-timber forest products. The degree of disturbances faced by the protected and unprotected forests were sharply contrasting, enabling an efficient comparative study. The study was carried out in two different forest patches, one under complete protection and the other exposed to anthropogenic disturbance. However, as the two patches are in close proximity, climatic conditions are identical. The two sites are located in the Doon Valley region, on the Himalayan foothills in the Uttarakhand State of India and under the management of Kalsi Forest Division. Nearly 80% of the Doon Valley forests are Sal forests. Phytosociological analysis and soil sampling was carried out in the months of January and February 2015. The sampling and data collection was done by dividing the forest structure into three layers, trees, shrubs and herbs. Saplings and seedlings were included in the shrub and herb layers respectively. This data was then quantitatively analysed to calculate the density, frequency, abundance, Importance Value Index, basal area and Whitford Index separately for the three layers. The data was also analysed for α-diversity and estimation of other diversity, similarity, richness, dominance indices and evenness. Sal was the only species found in the tree layer, indicating its complete dominance in this layer. 21 species were found in the shrub layer of the protected site, while 19 species were found in the unprotected site. However, the density of Sal saplings was found to be 340 individuals/ha in the unprotected site, significantly higher than the protected site having 120 individuals/ha. The major species found to be competing extensively with Sal were Clerodendrum viscosum, Mallotus philippensis, Murraya koenigii, Jasminum sp and Lantana camara, thus hindering its regeneration. The most significant results were obtained from the herb layer, as the density of Sal seedlings was found to be only 20 individuals/ha in the unprotected site, while the protected site had 80 individuals/ha, clearly indicating the lack of Sal regeneration under disturbed conditions in the unprotected site. Echinocarpus, Oplismenus compositus and Rungia pectinata were observed to be the species competing with the Sal seedlings in the herb layer. The graphical representation of the density of Sal trees, saplings and seedlings of both the sites clearly indicates the better regeneration of Sal under protected conditions. Although the regeneration of Sal is better in the protected site, it is not as high as expected, due to the high canopy density obstructing the sunlight and rainwater reaching the lower layers and the forest floor and excessive growth of competitive species. This indicates that protection should be coupled with appropriate silvicultural and forest management strategies to maximise the natural regeneration. The correlation analysis of the physico-chemical properties of soil with the floristic composition of the shrub layer shows that pH is the only negatively correlated soil property and acidic soils are necessary for the healthy growth and composition of Sal forests.
In Central and North Gujarat, particularly Panchmahal, Dahod, Sabarkantha and Banaskantha distric... more In Central and North Gujarat, particularly Panchmahal, Dahod, Sabarkantha and Banaskantha districts animal husbandry is a major economic base for the farmer community. Fodder winter maize is used as feedstock for the cattle. Therefore, winter fodder maize is grown as a major agricultural crop in these areas. In order to provide better feedstock for the cattle, growing good quality fodder winter maize crop is essential. The study aims at improving the quality of this crop through the minimum use of inorganic (chemical) fertilizers and maximising the use of organic and biofertilizers. Inorganic fertilizers display ill-effects on the environment such as reducing the soil quality and fertility, leaching out and polluting water basins, destroying microorganisms and friendly insects, making the crop susceptible to the attack of diseases and also reducing the nutritional quality of the crop, thus causing irreparable damage. The study is a comparative analysis of the effects of inorganic, organic and biofertilizers on the growth and quality of the crop. The experiment was carried out by growing fodder winter maize in different pots having specific quantitative ratio of inorganic, organic and biofertilizers. Each of the pots were analysed with respect to the growth parameters of the crop.
Key Words : Fertilizer, Agriculture, Biofertilizers, Soil quality, Spot cultivation
The city of Vadodara is prone to frequent floods and the most severe floods were received in 1994... more The city of Vadodara is prone to frequent floods and the most severe floods were received in 1994, 1996, 2005 and 2014 in the recent past. The city has an area of 149 km² and a population of 4.1 million according to the 2010–11 census. Vadodara receives an average rainfall of 970 mm. Vadodara sits on the banks of the River Vishwamitri, fed by the Ajwa Reservoir. The width of the river decreases as it flows through the city and is subjected to the drainage of the city's sewage and effluents from nearby industries. Alteration of its banks and human encroachment have reduced its width further. A large number of wetlands have been reclaimed and construction has been carried out over them. The construction in the city has increased by about 50 km2 from 1991 to 2005, but the area covered by water bodies has reduced by nearly half from 4.38 to 2.77 km2. The number of slums have also increased by a great extent from 192 slums in 1972 to 397 in 2013. The storm water drainage network in the city is also inadequate. The study aims at highlighting the role of change in land use pattern, unplanned development, depletion of water bodies and building of slums along the river banks in causing frequent and severe floods in the city using GIS. The annual rainfall data of the city was obtained and subjected to graphical and statistical operations which revealed that heavy rainfall is not the only factor causing floods in the city. The low lying zones were identified and the direction of the flow of rainwater was determined using an elevation map. This also gave the reasons for severe waterlogging in some areas of the city. The historic LANDSAT images of the city from 1991 to 2014 were obtained from the USGS Global Visualisation (GloVis) Viewer. The images were analysed under different band combinations using the Integrated Land and Water Information System (ILWIS 3.4). The results show the continuous increase in the urban sprawl, increase in construction throughout the city, especially in the western parts and increase in the density of buildings. It was also revealed that the number of water bodies has decreased, which used to act as sinks for the rainwater. The area of the existing water bodies is also decreasing due to dumping of wastes and construction along the banks. The presence of slums has increased by a great extent throughout the city, especially along the banks of Vishwamitri River reducing the width of the river and causing frequent floods. Unplanned construction has been carried out in the low lying zones, obstructing the flow of water into the sinks to cause waterlogging in these areas.
Key Words: Urban floods, Vadodara, Vishwamitri, Land use pattern, GIS, Water bodies, Rainwater, Unplanned development, Slums
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Papers by Ajinkya Deshpande
Key Words : Fertilizer, Agriculture, Biofertilizers, Soil quality, Spot cultivation
Key Words: Urban floods, Vadodara, Vishwamitri, Land use pattern, GIS, Water bodies, Rainwater, Unplanned development, Slums
Key Words : Fertilizer, Agriculture, Biofertilizers, Soil quality, Spot cultivation
Key Words: Urban floods, Vadodara, Vishwamitri, Land use pattern, GIS, Water bodies, Rainwater, Unplanned development, Slums