Land Use Change and Groundwater-Based Irrigation Dynamics in the Hyderabad-Karnataka (Kalyana Karnataka) Region: A Case Study of Bidar District

Abstract

Background: Land use change and groundwater depletion are among the principal environmental pressures affecting semi-arid regions of peninsular India, including the Hyderabad-Karnataka (HK) region. Bidar district, situated within this region, has experienced concurrent shifts in agricultural, forest, and fallow land categories alongside changing groundwater extraction patterns over the past two decades. Objectives: This study characterises spatial and temporal changes in land use/land cover (LULC) categories in Bidar district across three time points (2005-06, 2018-19, 2020-23) and evaluates groundwater-dependent irrigation dynamics and farm-pond-based water conservation outcomes in the Gamanagatti micro-watershed. Methods: Secondary LULC data were compiled from official taluk-level agricultural statistics and analysed using descriptive statistical methods (percentages and means). Groundwater and bore-well records for the Gamanagatti micro-watershed were compiled for the period 1975-2023. Farm-pond economic outcomes were assessed via cost-of cultivation and benefit-cost (B:C) ratio analysis before and after intervention. Results: Forest land use remained essentially stable across the study period (~43,000 ha, 7.9-8.0% of district area). Non-agricultural, fallow, and current-fallow land categories increased substantially between 2005-06 and 2020-23, while barren/uncultivable land declined. Farm pond implementation was associated with higher benefit-cost ratios across all crop seasons studied. Conclusion: Bidar district shows a clear shift away from marginal/barren land categories toward non-agricultural and fallow land uses over the study period, alongside evidence that farm-pond-based water conservation improves on farm economic returns. These findings support the case for integrating land-use monitoring with groundwater management in regional planning.