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International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol XXXV, Part B7. Istanbul 2004 
  
The skyline of the city has also witnessed a marked 
transformation since the eighties. "Vertical development has 
become the order of the day. Cement and concrete structures 
seem to be replacing the high roofed mansions of the bygone 
era. Demolitions of the latter are usually carried out without 
batting an eye bid or a thought for the environmental 
consequences of the effort. Real estate promoters are having a 
heyday, as the land and property values are escalating at an 
unprecedented pace. While the core areas of the city were the 
first to acquire the vertical structures, starting in the seventies, 
these are now sprinted all over the city extending up to the 
limits of the city and suburbs areas, though the density and 
heights are definitely more in central city locations- these 
concrete jungles have definitely raised the temperature of the 
city in the recent past and have been responsible for the 
emergence of heat islands a concept unknown to Hyderabad of, 
are which was known for its salubrious climate. 
The study area covers Hyderabad city situated in the heart of 
the Deccan Plateau at an average height of 540 mts (1760 
feet's) above mean sea level. On the North it has Nagpur city, 
South it is Bangalore city, East it has Vishakapatnam city, in 
the West Mumbai city beside many other cities around. The 
city is located at 17? 20' North latitude and 78? 30' East 
longitude, covering an area of 240 Sq.Kms, at present city 
consists if 35 municipal wards including 12 wards of 
Secundrabad. The twin cities of Hyderabad and Secundrabad 
stands on pink and gray granites, these granite hills are spread 
all over the city and its surrounding areas. River Musi is a 
tributary of river Krishna, passing through the heart of the city 
dividing the city into Hyderabad North and Hyderabad South. 
The flow of river Musi is from west to east attests to the general 
slope of the city which is eastward. 
Population acts on land through a spectrum of activities, which 
can be broadly classified as agricultural, commercial, industrial, 
transportation, administration etc. Needless to say that the 
Amenities and daily needs of the individuals have a prominent 
impact on urban growth. Hyderabad registered a decadal 
growth rate of 57%. All this rapid and haphazard growth of 
urban sprawl and increasing population pressure is resulting in 
deterioration of infrastructure facilities, loss of productive 
agricultural lands and green open spaces, loss of surface water 
bodies and depletion of groundwater aquifers zones, besides 
causing air pollution, contamination of water, health hazards, 
499 
and micro-climatic changes. To address these issues 
effectively, it requires up to date and accurate data at regular 
intervals of time on the changing urban sprawl, urban land use, 
urban environment, urban infrastructure and urban resources. 
The satellite remote sensing with its ability to provide reliable 
and accurate data offers excellent possibilities to map monitor 
and measure the various facets of urban planning and 
development. The availability of space data from IRS-ID 
becomes more relevant and important for urban and municipal 
planning and for making proper decisions for the overall 
development of Hyderabad city. 
According to 2001 census, Hyderabad is the fifth largest 
metropolis of India with a population of 5,434,347. The 
population of Hyderabad has increased from 0.448 million in 
1901 to 0.502 million in 1911 but come down to 0.406 million 
in 1021. It again went up to 0.447 million in 1931, 0.739 
million in 1941 (an increased of 66594), 1.28 million in 1951 
(5296), 1.429 million in 1961 (1196 increase), 1.796 million in 
1971 (4496 increase). But in 1971 and 1981 the population 
went up to 2.759 million, and the rate of increase in the urban 
agglomeration was 43%. Between 1981 and 1991 the 
population went up to 4.34 million and the rate of growth to 
67%, and population went up 5.43 million in 2001 and a 
growth rate of 24%. 
Data Sources: 
Hyderabad Urban Development Authority (HUDA), Municipal 
Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH), National Remote Sensing 
Agency (NRSA), Census of India, Commissionarate of 
Schools, Board of Intermediate education, Higher education 
department, Medical and Health department, Fire brigade and 
Police department, Survey of India Toposheets (SOI), etc. 
Methodology: 
Base map is prepared with the help of Survey of India (SOI) 
Toposheets Mapl.