Study on Spatio-Temporal Changes in River Dynamics and Land Cover along the Seti River Floodplain, Kaski, Nepal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64862/ajeg.2025.202.03.269Keywords:
Land use and land cover change (LULC), Seti floodplain, Remote sensing and GIS, Bankline shift, Spatio-temporal changesAbstract
In a geographically diverse country like Nepal, changes in river dynamics and land use/land cover are common phenomena. Kaski District, located in the hilly region of central Nepal, exhibits significant variations in river morphology and landform characteristics over time. This study analyzes the decadal changes in river dynamics and land cover along the Seti floodplain from 1989 to 2017 using Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) techniques. Landsat images from four decades were used, followed by radiometric correction, reclassification, and combination for analysis. River dynamics were evaluated through parameters such as sinuosity and bankline shift, while land cover classification employed unsupervised segmentation and indices-based methods. Six land cover categories were identified: water body, built-up area, barren land, agriculture and grassland, shrub and forest, and snow and glacier. The Seti River showed a decreasing trend in sinuosity, with the highest value in 1989 and the lowest in 2017. The maximum bank shift of 42.7 m occurred in the mid-right bank between 1999 and 2009, while the minimum shift of 6.7 m was observed in the upper right bank between 1989 and 1999. Water body area increased from 7.60 km² in 1989 to 8.34 km² in 2017, and built-up area expanded from 32.44 km² to 80.98 km². Barren land decreased from 353.80 km² to 332.07 km², while agriculture and grassland increased from 251.21 km² to 320.15 km². Shrub and forest areas declined from 984.75 km² to 889.05 km², whereas snow and glacier cover increased from 458.05 km² to 477.55 km².
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