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Legend:
High Density Residential
Medium Density Residential
Low Density Residential
Flat Cultivated Land
Medium Slope Cultivated Land
Steep Cultivated Land
Forest
Horticulture Research Centre
Plantation
Institution
Industry
Mining Area
Recreational Park
Stadium
Water Body
Others
Land Use and Land Cover 1992
Land Use and Land Cover 1998
Legend:
High Density Residential
Medium Density Residential
Low Density Residential
Flat Cultivated Land
Medium Slope Cultivated Land
Steep Cultivated Land
Forest
Horticulture Research Centre
Plantation
Institution
Industry
Stadium
Water Body
Others
Land Use and Land Cover Change in Kirtipur Municipality
Figure 6:
Land use and settlement changes in Kirtipur, Nepal. Notice settlement in terms of medium to low density
populated areas (pink and dark pink areas) increased between 1992 and 1998. Such rapid growth put great pressures
on sanitation and water resources (Shrestha, 2003).
Similar patterns of intensifying land use can also be
found in more rural areas all across the Greater Asian
Mountain region. Galiat is a part of Abbottabad Tahsil
of Abbottabad District, Northwestern Pakistan. The
area is located in the lesser Himalayan ranges between
33° 55’ and 34° 20’ North latitude and 73° 20’ and 73°
30’ East longitude and is home to 3,250,000 people.
The main ridge of Galiat is running from North-West
to South-East with big spurs in North-South directions.
The main valleys also run in the direction of the spurs.
The topography is rugged with steep slopes and narrow
valleys with elevations ranging from 1000-3000 m. A
mosaic land use pattern exists through out Galiat. The
local population in the Galiat area is dependent on natu-
ral resources. The rapid population growth during the
last 3-4 decades has resulted in a fragmentation of land
holdings, clearance of vegetation and breaking of new
land and terracing for agriculture, increased competi-
tion for scarce resources, steep slope cultivation, deg-
radation of land due to overuse and soil erosion. The
degradation of the environment is essentially caused
Rural upland areas in temperate hills
by heavy pressure on the vegetative cover by an ever-in-
creasing density of both livestock and humans.
The area drains into the Jhelum, Kunhar, Haro and
Daur rivers. The forests are generally located above
2000 meters. Valley bottom and moderate side slopes
are inhabited having scattered and conglomerate pat-
terns of houses. Land slips and land slides are found
on steep bare slopes. Rock falls, scree deposit and mud
flows are also common on precipitous slopes.
Unplanned developmental activities such as construc-
tion of buildings and roads (widening of Abotabad to
Murree Road and construction of Kuza Gali to Mal-
kot and several rural access roads) have resulted in
considerable environmental degradation. Evidence of
forest degradation (except Ayubia National Park area),
deforestation, poor logging practices, sparse pastures,
uncontrolled grazing, erosion, geological instability
and poverty is visible. The deforestation is particularly
evident along the road corridors (Fig. 7).