Dorje Dawa | University of Delhi (original) (raw)
Papers by Dorje Dawa
Modeling Earth Systems and Environment, 2016
Urbanization is the primary driver of Land Use/ Land Cover (LULC) changes throughout the world. I... more Urbanization is the primary driver of Land Use/ Land Cover (LULC) changes throughout the world. It is arguably the most dramatic and prevalent form of irreversible land transformation. In a fast growing city like Delhi, land use changes are tremendous. Therefore, it is imperative to analyze the driving forces of such change. Along with Delhi, the South West District of Delhi has been chosen for a comparative study of LULC change from 1977 to 2014. Landsat and Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite scenes were used to perform both supervised and unsupervised classification and an overall accuracy of over 90 % was achieved for all the years. In Delhi, net percent change from 1977 to 2014 was found to be ?30.61 % for built-up area,-22.75 % for cultivated area,-5.31 % for dense forest,-2.76 % for wasteland and ?2.41 % for road/rail network. No major net percent change was seen in open forest, scrubs/degraded forest, plantations and river/ waterbody. The LULC results provide evidence of relationship between built-up area, agricultural land and wasteland over the past four decades. The effect of economic reforms of 1991 has manifested itself as a change in LULC. Overall it illustrates a characteristic picture of LULC change and its dynamics.
Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution, 2021
Soil erosion is one of the most critical environmental issues with severe consequences. Hence, it... more Soil erosion is one of the most critical environmental issues with severe consequences. Hence, it continues to be a significant limitation in the progress of many developing countries. Prediction and assessment of soil loss are, therefore, of utmost importance for soil fertility conservation, land and water management. Recent technological advances have provided useful models through which remotely-sensed data for a large scale area can be analysed and interpreted. The present study adopts a physiographically, biologically and climatically unique model for the assessment of soil erosion in the Indian Himalayan Region. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation model was applied in conjunction with Geographic Information System to estimate the average annual rate of soil erosion at both state and district levels in India. The model was deployed using coarse resolution datasets to identify specific areas vulnerable to soil erosion. In determining the spatial distribution of average annu...
Energy and climate change in cold …
Environmental Impact Assessment Review, Jan 1, 2009
Mountain tourism in developing countries is becoming a growing environmental concern due to extre... more Mountain tourism in developing countries is becoming a growing environmental concern due to extreme seasonality, lack of suitable infrastructures and planning, and interference with fragile ecosystems and protected areas. This paper presents a study devoted to assess the adverse environmental impacts of tourism, and in particular of trekking-related activities, in Ladakh, Indian Himalaya. The proposed approach is based on the use of Geographical Information System (GIS) modeling and remote sensing imageries to cope with the lack of data that affect the region. First, stressors associated with trekking, and environmental receptors potentially affected were identified. Subsequently, a baseline study on stressors (trail use, waste dumping, camping, pack animal grazing and off-road driving) and receptors (soil, water, wildlife, vegetation) was conducted through field work, data collection, and data processing supported by GIS. Finally, impacts were modeled by considering the intensity of the stressors, and the vulnerability and the value of the receptors. The results were spatially aggregated into watershed units, and combined to generate composite impact maps. The study concluded that the most affected watersheds are located in the central and southeastern part of Ladakh, along some of the most visited trails and within the Hemis and the Tsokar Tsomoriri National parks. The main objective of the study was to understand patterns of tourism-induced environmental degradation, so as to support mitigation interventions, as well as the development of suitable tourism policies.
Modeling Earth Systems and Environment, 2016
Urbanization is the primary driver of Land Use/ Land Cover (LULC) changes throughout the world. I... more Urbanization is the primary driver of Land Use/ Land Cover (LULC) changes throughout the world. It is arguably the most dramatic and prevalent form of irreversible land transformation. In a fast growing city like Delhi, land use changes are tremendous. Therefore, it is imperative to analyze the driving forces of such change. Along with Delhi, the South West District of Delhi has been chosen for a comparative study of LULC change from 1977 to 2014. Landsat and Indian Remote Sensing (IRS) satellite scenes were used to perform both supervised and unsupervised classification and an overall accuracy of over 90 % was achieved for all the years. In Delhi, net percent change from 1977 to 2014 was found to be ?30.61 % for built-up area,-22.75 % for cultivated area,-5.31 % for dense forest,-2.76 % for wasteland and ?2.41 % for road/rail network. No major net percent change was seen in open forest, scrubs/degraded forest, plantations and river/ waterbody. The LULC results provide evidence of relationship between built-up area, agricultural land and wasteland over the past four decades. The effect of economic reforms of 1991 has manifested itself as a change in LULC. Overall it illustrates a characteristic picture of LULC change and its dynamics.
Asian Journal of Water, Environment and Pollution, 2021
Soil erosion is one of the most critical environmental issues with severe consequences. Hence, it... more Soil erosion is one of the most critical environmental issues with severe consequences. Hence, it continues to be a significant limitation in the progress of many developing countries. Prediction and assessment of soil loss are, therefore, of utmost importance for soil fertility conservation, land and water management. Recent technological advances have provided useful models through which remotely-sensed data for a large scale area can be analysed and interpreted. The present study adopts a physiographically, biologically and climatically unique model for the assessment of soil erosion in the Indian Himalayan Region. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation model was applied in conjunction with Geographic Information System to estimate the average annual rate of soil erosion at both state and district levels in India. The model was deployed using coarse resolution datasets to identify specific areas vulnerable to soil erosion. In determining the spatial distribution of average annu...
Energy and climate change in cold …
Environmental Impact Assessment Review, Jan 1, 2009
Mountain tourism in developing countries is becoming a growing environmental concern due to extre... more Mountain tourism in developing countries is becoming a growing environmental concern due to extreme seasonality, lack of suitable infrastructures and planning, and interference with fragile ecosystems and protected areas. This paper presents a study devoted to assess the adverse environmental impacts of tourism, and in particular of trekking-related activities, in Ladakh, Indian Himalaya. The proposed approach is based on the use of Geographical Information System (GIS) modeling and remote sensing imageries to cope with the lack of data that affect the region. First, stressors associated with trekking, and environmental receptors potentially affected were identified. Subsequently, a baseline study on stressors (trail use, waste dumping, camping, pack animal grazing and off-road driving) and receptors (soil, water, wildlife, vegetation) was conducted through field work, data collection, and data processing supported by GIS. Finally, impacts were modeled by considering the intensity of the stressors, and the vulnerability and the value of the receptors. The results were spatially aggregated into watershed units, and combined to generate composite impact maps. The study concluded that the most affected watersheds are located in the central and southeastern part of Ladakh, along some of the most visited trails and within the Hemis and the Tsokar Tsomoriri National parks. The main objective of the study was to understand patterns of tourism-induced environmental degradation, so as to support mitigation interventions, as well as the development of suitable tourism policies.