Assessment of Water Poverty Index (WPI) Under Changing Land Use/Land Cover in a Riverine Ecosystem of Central India

Watershed Development is a very common phenomenon in the river basins in India due to its dynamic and continuously changing nature, which are interconnected via. Land use/land cover (LULC) change and water poverty scenario over time. In the present study, the samples were chosen from seven sampled villages for the Water Poverty Index (WPI) in the upper Tons River Basin. Among them, Ghunwara and Maihar Village exhibit the highest and lowest WPI, i.e., 98.1 and 62.91 out of 100, respectively. This indicates that villages with a high WPI face challenges in their water requirements, regardless of the seasonal river serving the basin area. Conversely, villages with a low WPI can satisfy their water needs solely from the basin. The present analysis of the Upper Tons River Basin suggests that Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) will undergo influences or adjustments at various stages, ultimately affecting agricultural land in the impact region. It also becomes evident that areas with limited land use and land cover (LULC) extensions exhibit lower Water Productivity Index (WPI), primarily due to their reliance on agricultural land. It is observed that alterations, reductions, or modifications in LULC lead to changes in multiple aspects of agricultural land, resulting in noticeable variations in various metrics. The present paper not only evaluates the land use in the Upper Tons River Basin spanning from 2001 to 2021 but also highlights the changing patterns that impact water resources and their utilization capacity. Furthermore, the study estimates the influence of reducing specific features on the distribution of WPI and other LULC parameters. The Upper Tons River Basin faces challenges such as unfavorable rainfall patterns and inadequate planning for irrigation at the fundamental and local levels. Additionally, its geographical location in a rainfed area negatively affects the WPI.