Evaluating drought impact on vegetation cover of Rarkan Rod-kohi area,balochistan using remote sensing technique

The impact of the 1998-2004 prolonged drought was studied on the vegetation cover of rarkan rod-kohi area,balochistan through using multi-sensor remote sensing data in geographic information system (gis) environment. the satellite image data of drought (2001) and post drought (2006) periods were analyzed in order to assess change in landuse and vegetation cover through hybrid (visual and digital) interpretation technique. the results of the study show a distinct change in vegetation cover of rarkan area in balochistan in response to the last drought occurred during 1998-2004. the change is indicative from 11 percent decrease in coverage of shrubland and conversion of 12 percent rangeland into bare soil area due to shortage of water resource in the drought period. although,water availability is one of the limiting factors for low vegetation growth in the dry condition,other factors like woodcutting and over grazing might had contributed to the change in vegetation cover. regular monitoring and reliable prediction of climate are required for better risk mitigation and development of water management strategies in order to cope with the drought impacts in balochistan. the study would provide base for developing better strategies for monitoring drought impacts for future landuse planning and adaptation. © pakistan academy of sciences. © pakistan academy of sciences.