Analysis of Land Use and Land Cover Dynamics in Orlu, Nigeria

This research set out to ascertain the land use and land cover changes that have taken place in Orlu L.G.A from 1986 to 2013. Two fundamental tools applied were GIS and remote sensing which were used for the assessment of LULC. Remote sensing provided multi temporal images, while GIS was used to analyze the data from a geographic perspective. Field observation was also carried out in the area in order to assess the level of urbanization as well as the trend of development. The result of this analysis provided four major classifications of land use and land cover which include; bare-soil, built-up, water body and vegetation. The built up area was observed to have increased rapidly between 2000 and 2013 with a value of 46.207% while there was a drastic decrease in bare soil and water bodies as a result of the trend in development of this area within this period. Vegetation cover reduced from 58.03% in 1986 to about 52.09% in 2013. It is evident that Orlu is developing rapidly with respect to land use change as there has been rapid increase in socio-economic activities of the population. Consequently, there is an increase in the runoff level in the area as a result of various construction works going on in the area. This has resulted in high rate of siltation in the water bodies and their consequent shrinkage.