Analysis of urban growth and assessment of impact of urbanization on water resources : a case study of Hyderabad, India

Rapid urbanization of the cities is a new phenomenon for the Indian subcontinent. Rapid urban growth has significant impact on the environment of the cities. The local authorities of the growing city like Hyderabad lack the proper vision, planning and the knowledge database for sustainable management practices for urban growth. As a result, there is increasing gap between demand and supply of water. So it was necessary to have sufficient knowledge about city’s urban growth activities and it’s on the water resources for the implementation of better planning and protection practices for water resources. This PhD thesis includes the study which is focussed on three main thematic areas: remote sensing analysis of urban growth, urban water supply and wastewater disposal, and impact of urbanization on surface as well as groundwater resources in Hyderabad. Initially, the changes in land use types in three different time periods viz. 1989–2000, 2000–2005 and 2005–2011 were analysed using the Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper (ETM) data and by applying remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) techniques. It has provided the information about the trend of urban growth in different periods and the types of changes in land use. The results also show that in some cases the surface water bodies are completely vanished while surface areas of many other water bodies have reduced since 1989. The changes in groundwater quality and quantity due to urban growth were also analysed. The presence heavy metals and microbiological pollutants have made the groundwater unsafe for drinking at various places in Hyderabad. It has also proved that there is large component of urban groundwater recharge in this region. The net urban recharge component of groundwater in this region was estimated to be about 567.51 mm/a and natural recharge component was observed to be 52.78 mm/a. Water inflow and outflow components from the study area were also estimated to provide the complete scenario of total urban water balance of Hyderabad. The combination of tools applied, the results obtained and the suggestions provided in this study will be helpful for local planners and decision makers to protect and restore the water resources in this region