APPLICATION OF GIS AND REMOTE SENSING DATA IN SELECTING ALTERNATE
HABITABLE SITE IN OUTER HIMALAYA, INDIA
Dr. S.K. Sharma, GRI
24, National Road, Dehradun — 248001, India
sks105@rediffmail.com
KEYWORDS: Tehri Dam, Spatial Database, Geographic Information System, Remote Sensing, Thematic Maps.
ABSTRACT:
Despite India’s extensive development achievements in the last nearly five decades since independence, the fact remains that it. still
remains one of the poorest nations in the world, in terms of per capita income and energy consumption. The per capita energy
consumption which indicates the economic status of a nation, is only 0.25 tons of oil equivalent (TOE) as against nearly 8.5 TOE of
developed nations. If. the economic standard of the country is to be raised, an accelerated growth of economy becomes imperative
which can greatly be facilitated through increased availability of energy, be it a conventional or non-conventional source of energy.
Fortunately, India has vast unexploited hydropower potential estimated at about 84000 MW, the harnessing of which is expected to
meet the domestic demand of ever growing population on one hand and relieve the country from heavy burden of foreign exchange
outflow and dependence on imported fuel for generating electricity on the another hand. lt is in this context that a 260m high Tehri
Dam on a tributary of the Ganges in Central Himalayan Region is coming up for economic benefits the local people and country at
large to deliver nearly 250 MW of electricity when completed in few years from now. But these economic benefits to the country are
full of miseries to the local residents comprising nearly hundred villages around the Tehri Dam as their only source of livelihood the
"irrigation land" is going to be submerged under its vast water reservoir. On an average, nearly 50000 local village habitants are
likely to be rendered homeless.
In order to mitigate the environmental and socio-economic stresses of the upstream people whose lives would be drastically affected
if not made to migrate to nearby safer places, the remote sensing and GIS data is used to find the alternate site for their rehabilitation.
The spatial database created through Remote Sensing (RS) information is converted into computer readable form using the
Geographic Information System (GIS) for analyzing the geographically referenced desets of spatial and non-spatial origin. The
recently acquired satellite images on 1:50000 scale have been used to prepare thematic maps depicting the vegetation, soil cover,
geomorphological features, drainage pattern and watershed areas which has helped when integrated with the Intergraph GIS system,
in distinguishing the localities, in an otherwise, difficult and unapproachable terrain, suitable for variety of plantation / activities of
economic value where the upstream people can be made to migrate without impairing or imbalancing ecosystem.
1. INTRODUCTION But these economic benefits to the country are full of miseries
to the local residents comparing nearly hundred villages around
Despite India's extensive development achievements in the last the Tehri Dam since there only source of livelihood this *land"
nearly five decades since independence, the fact remains that is is going to be submerged under its reservoir water. It is
is still one of the poorest countries in the world, in terms of per estimated that nearly 50,000 people have lost their homes and
capita income and consumption. The per capita energy lands to reservoir as part of the worlds larges dam building
consumption in India is about 0.25 tons of oil equivalent (TOE) program. This has not only uprooted the local residents but has
as against 8.5 TOE of developed nation. If the standard of also adversely affected the agriculture produce, the only means
living has to be raised, an accelerated growth of economy
becomes imperative which can greatly be facilitated through : r s —
increased availability of energy, be a hydrocarbon or electricity. i ? Ye TT x 22
Fortunately, India has vast unexploited hydropower potential, o ; i pier cttm
estimated at about 84,000 MW which if properly harnessed can Eom ; i .
meet the domestic demand of ever growing population and can E " | 0^
relieve the country from the heavy burden of foreign exchange Ti» : be
outflow and dependence on imported fuel for generating ' :
electricity. Therefore, the country has very little option but to EL !
step up its energy exploitation program at a very rapid growth =f : o P 5
rate anticipating and taking utmost care of the envisaged vns!
environment disruption associated with such exploitation. Ó pn -— STE 3
i TE i a se
; Ld E AL - f
1.1 Points to Ponder == sa muri . Bem
Exe mm : = -
It is in this context that a 260.5m high Tehri Dam on a J tein EM A >
Himalayan tributary of the Ganga, the Bhagirathi river in the thoi livelihood. ; i
Central Himalayan Region is coming up (Fig.-1) for economic
benefit of the COUR and of the local people in particular to Fig. 1 Location and Geological map of the area studied (after
delivery nearly 250 MW of electricity when completed. Valdiya, 1997)
542
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