Temporal Analysis of Land Use and Land Cover Change of Solan District Using Geospatial Techniques

This study examines the spatiotemporal dynamics of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) in Solan District, Himachal Pradesh, a critical industrial and agricultural corridor in the Western Himalayas. Utilizing 10-meter resolution Sentinel-2 data from the Esri Living Atlas, the analysis monitors landscape transitions between 2017 and 2024 within a GIS environment. Five primary LULC classes were analysed: Vegetation, Range land, Built-up, Agriculture, and Water Bodies. The findings reveal a significant ecological shift, characterized by a 29.11% reduction in vegetation cover (approximately 334 km2) and a concomitant 67.29% expansion of range land (270.82 km2), indicating widespread land clearing and degradation. Concurrently, built-up areas surged by 43.71%, driven by rapid industrialization in the Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh belt, which has encroached upon fertile agricultural zones and forested slopes. Agricultural land experienced a notable contraction of 19.74%, highlighting a transition from primary to secondary economic sectors. These trends underscore the intense anthropogenic pressure on the region’s fragile mountain ecosystems. The study emphasizes the urgent necessity for integrated geospatial planning to balance industrial growth with environmental conservation and food security in the Himalayan foothills.