الفهرس 
REVIEW OF LITERATUREOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 179 |  |  |
| | | from | 179 | | |
Abstract
The aims of this study are to assess the land use changes on Nile Delta in a representative study area that was located to cover both the districts of Quesna and Banha as a case study in Monofia and Qaluobia Governorates. The current study elements are summarized as follows:
Methodological approach and methods:
Two remote sensing data sets were used to delineate the physiographic units and to assess the rates of changes in the land use. These data sources manipulated from Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM5) acquired in 1984 and another data set is SPOT4 acquired in 1995 and 2011. Ground truth was performed to check the border of mapping units and to study soil attributes. Ten soil profiles were morphologically studied and sampled according to Soil Survey Manual (USDA, 2003) for laboratory analyses. These analyses were carried out for measuring particle size distribution, calcium carbonate, soil pH in the soil paste and salinity in the saturated soil past extract. These soil attributes were classified according to (USDA, 2010) and were evaluated according to Sys et al., 1993. The spatial distributions of the land cover classes were defined according to the Land Cover Classification System (LCCS) by Di-Gregorio and Jansen, (2004).
Evaluating the retreated River Nile sediments:
1. Unique Physiographic soil attributes
The study area represent a unique physiographic units that were deposited by the meandering course of River Nile these land units have alluvial parent material of flat surfaces. They are deltaic alluvial plain
Including the taxonomic unit of Typic Haplotorrerts, fine; Levees of Typic Torriorthents, fine loamy; Point bar of Typic Torriorthents, fine loamy over sandy and Typic Torriorthents, coarse loamy;sub deltaic outcrops of Typic Torriorthents, sandy; bow bar of of Typic Torriorthents, fine loamy.
2. High land suitability for irrigated agriculture
According to the system of Sys et al., (1993), the land characteristics were evaluated for the irrigated cultivation to assess their suitability classes. Most of these soils have no limitation, which are classified to be highly suitable (S1) for the irrigated agriculture. For the sub deltaic outcrops, the suitability class was assessed as moderately suitable (S2) being the soils have minor limitation (soil texture).
3. Assessment of urban encroachment in each district.
The assessment of urban expansion over the Nile alluvium was
monitored for both two districts of Quesna and Banha in the years 1984,
1995 to the years 2011. The urban coverage in Qusena study area was
about 2884, 3669 and 6642 feddans of the total area (48688 feddans) in
the years 1984, 1995 and 2011 respectively. The loss of cultivated area by urban was 785 feddans (72 feddans per year) and 2973 feddans (186
feddans per year) within the durations from 1984 to 1995 and from 1995
to 2011 respectively. This rate of cultivated area loss will be rapidly
integrated on the residual cultivated area in the year 2011 (36194 feddans)
to be entirely concreted within 142 years ahead of the year 2011.
In Banha, The urban coverage was about 3188, 3790 and 6591 feddans of the total area (40081feddans) in the year 1984, 1995 and 2011 respectively. The loss of the cultivated area was 602 feddans (55 feddans per year) and 4801 feddans (175 feddans per year) within the durations from 1984 to 1995 and from 1995 to 2011 respectively. Accordingly residual cultivated area in the year 2011 (28829 feddans) will be most probably concreted ahead of the year within 95 years.
4. Assessment of urban encroachment in the collective study area.
The assessment of urban expansion over the total cultivated study
area including Quesna and Banha is covering 88768 feddans. The urban
coverage was about 6072, 7459 and 13233 feddans in the years 1984,
1995 and 2011 respectively. The loss of the cultivated area by urban was
1387 feddans (126 feddans per year) and 5774 feddans (361 feddans per
year) within the durations from 1984 to 1995 and from 1995 to 2011
respectively. This rate of loss will act on the cultivated area (residual one) that covers 65023 feddans to be entirely denatured within 116 years ahead of the last catching up in the year 2011. It is most probably that if this entire loss is detected in other scanned area of Nile Delta, the duration of this loss will be more serious. Accordingly it is a precaution that this human mode should be ceased by a firm low and by considering the Nile alluvium as a land protectorate for cultivation.
This problem must be seriously managed by the following recommendations:
- A definite national public decision for keeping the Nile alluvium as protectorate is highly required as well as keeping daily control along the constructed new roads against the aligning urbanization attack.
- Overcoming the acceleration of the informal life on the old arable land by attractive demographic movement from the Nile Delta. This movement must be approached by successful socio-economic program for setting up new productive agricultural land based keeping the same cultural and social attributes of the moved farmers.
- An obligatory law is required to restrict the problem of miss understanding by certain decision makers that compromising the illegal action against the cultivated lands or to approve the requests of individuals to urbanize their cultivated parcels.
- Finding out rather advanced approaches concerning the automated classification having more adaptation with the complexity of land cover types in the cultivated land, which might give better results.