GIS Based Storm Water Management System for Rapidly Growing Urban Areas: A Case Study

Abstract

Rapid urbanization and changing land use have resulted in changes in the quality and quantity of urban runoff. A correlation between changes in land use and characteristics of urban runoff has been established. Therefore, there is a need to evolve a suitable dynamic system for stormwater management of rapidly growing urban areas. This paper demonstrates the use of remote sensing combined with GIS to model and manage stormwater in a rapidly growing urban area. The land use and land cover information was derived from satellite images and the data thus derived were incorporated in the GIS spatial database to develop a land use map of the study area. Interactive maps were prepared by integrating the land use coverage, catchment coverage and runoff water-quality coverage attributes. Using the maps, the critical areas with respect to urban stormwater pollution can be identified and the best management practices (BMPs) for tackling stormwater pollution from urban areas can be proposed. The maps so generated shall be potential tools for urban planning and environmental management. Keywords: storm water, urbanization, remote sensing, GIS, land use planning, best management practices