Land Use / Land Cover of Aizawl District, Mizoram

The Land Use / Land Cover (LULC) mapping of Aizawl district was undertaken to generate a systematic and spatially consistent assessment of land use patterns across the district using remote sensing and GIS techniques. The project aimed to establish a reliable geospatial baseline that would support district-level planning, environmental monitoring, and sustainable resource management in one of Mizoram’s most rapidly transforming regions. The primary objective of the project was to identify, classify, and map the major land use and land cover categories prevailing within the administrative boundary of Aizawl district. The study sought to produce standardized thematic maps and associated spatial statistics that could be readily used by line departments, planners, and researchers. Emphasis was placed on creating a uniform and replicable dataset that could also serve as a reference for future land use change studies.

Satellite remote sensing data formed the core input for the analysis, supplemented by GIS-based spatial processing and interpretation. Summarized abstract of Land Use/Land Cover in the district: 

• Built-up land: 5,062.5 ha (0.40% of total area).
• Agricultural land: 3,286.5 ha (0.26% of total area), primarily Kharif crops. ​
• Forest land: 1,168,485.5 ha (92.82% of total area), including evergreen and bamboo forests. ​
• Water bodies: Major rivers and streams, with ongoing dam construction for hydroelectric power.
• Others: Shifting cultivation (53,062.5 ha, 4.21%) and abandoned jhum/shrubs (29,112.5 ha, 2.31%)

Summarized Metadata

Mapping Scale: 1:250,000

Satellite data & Year: Landsat TM, 1989

Thematic categories: Land & Water Resources 

Collaborating/Funding Agency: National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Hyderabad

Report Publication Month/Year: March, 1990