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Land Degradation Assessment in the Barind Tract Using NDVI and Remote Sensing Techniques

Students & Supervisors

Student Authors
Nazmul Hossain Siam
Bachelor of Science in Electrical & Electronic Engineering, FE
Supervisors
Md. Mortuza Ahmmed
Associate Professor, Faculty, FST

Abstract

The Barind Tract in northwestern Bangladesh is going through serious land related problems. Over the years, problems like rising temperatures, less rainfall, and a growing population have made the land weaker and it’s also less productive. This study defines the changes between 2000 and 2023 using satellite data. We used indicators like NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), a standard vegetation index derived from satellite data, was used to measure vegetation cover, land surface temperature (LST), and rainfall. We also looked at how farming areas, population, and land restoration efforts have changed over time. Since 2000, the green cover in the area has dropped a lot — NDVI fell from 0.45 to 0.30. This means vegetation is disappearing. At the same time, the amount of degraded land has almost doubled, from 1,500 to 2,700 square kilometers. Degraded land area was calculated by applying NDVI threshold values, where pixels with NDVI < 0.3 were classified as degraded. Temperatures have gone up by nearly 4°C, and rainfall has become more unpredictable, making farming harder. Drought has become more frequent and severe. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was used to assess drought severity, which reached -3.8 in 2023, indicating extreme dry conditions. In many years, the amount of farming land didn’t grow or even shrank which proving how hard it is to keep the land productive. On top of that, more people are now living in the area — population density grew from 650 to 880 persons per square kilometer — which puts more pressure on land and water. Although, more land restoration projects have started that is increasing (from 0 in 2000 to 18 in 2023) and they aren’t enough. Most of the damaged land hasn’t been fixed, and the problem is getting worse faster than it's being solved. This study shows that land degradation in the Barind region is a serious problem. If we don’t take any action soon, it could hurt food supply, make droughts worse, and harm rural communities. We are suggesting for using better farming methods, smarter water use, and stronger efforts to restore damaged land.

Keywords

Land Degradation Barind Tract NDVI Drought Index Remote Sensing.

Publication Details

  • Type of Publication:
  • Conference Name: 1st International Conference on Geosciences for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals (ICGSDG)
  • Date of Conference: 14/11/2025 - 14/11/2025
  • Venue: University of Rajshahi
  • Organizer: Faculty of Geosciences
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