Abstract:
Wetlands in India have assumed a considerable significance in recent years because of their ecological significance in terms of flood control, water purification, aquatic productivity and microclimatic regulation, and as habitats of fish, birds and wild life. A wide variety of wetlands, if managed properly, can be used profitably for meeting some of the human requirements and for environmental amelioration. A complete understanding of the structure and functions of wetland ecosystem requires a multidisciplinary, multiyear study, including quantitative analysis of the hydrologic regime of the wetlands. Inventory of water bodies through a combination of satellite data and Survey of India toposheets is the first step in carrying out further analysis.
An inventory of water bodies in the Jammu & Kashmir State of Western Himalayan region was prepared using available satellite data of IRS-IA (standard FCC', Scale 1:250000) for 1988/89 and digital data of IRS -IC for 1998. Also, a database was prepared with the help of Survey of India (S0I) topographic maps, which includes name and type of the water body, nearest place, district, river basin, geographical coordinates and elevation. The water spread area and perimeter of the water body, both in premonsoon (March/April/June) and post-monsoon (October/November/December) periods. were calculated using a GIS package. Tables presenting classification of the water bodies according to altitude, river basin and districts are included.
