Spatio-Temporal Variation of Land Use Pattern in Morigaon District of Assam

Abstract

There has been a perceptible transformation in the land use pattern of Morigaon district of Assam during the last few years. The pattern of land use change is basically influenced by a set of physical as well as social factors which varies spatially and temporally.

The Morigaon district is a traditionally backward agrarian region constituted by four major social groups, viz. indigenous general group of people, including both Hindu and Muslim, indigenous scheduled tribes, including both Hindu and Christian, indigenous scheduled caste belonging to Hindu and immigrant Muslim. These social groups living in different physic-social areas behave differently in the process of land use pattern. Therefore, there is a socio-spatial relation of land use changes in the district.

In this paper an attempt has been made to analyze the temporal changes of general land use pattern and its socio-spatial relationship during 1990-'91 to2002-2003. It is expected that the study will have not only academic value; it will also help the planners to adopt separate plans and programmers for different regions.