Assessing the effects of various land use change scenarios on runoff in Mula-Mutha catchment, India.
Land use is the bio-physical cover on the Earth surface, and immediate sub-surface that acts as an interface between lithosphere and atmosphere hence interacts with both these systems of the Earth. However, in the last few decades, specifically after the industrial revolution, changes are more pronounced due to urbanization, deforestation, civic and military infrastructures, and changing agricultural practices. These changes in the land use influence hydrological cycle by altering interception, infiltration, and evapotranspiration. Thus affecting availability of water resources. Moreover, it poses a challenging problem when it comes to quantifying these changes and its impact on hydrological components. In the present study, an attempt has been made to study the land use changes and quantify its impact on surface runoff using a modeling approach.
