INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH VOLUME 8, ISSUE 11, NOVEMBER 2019 ISSN 2277-8616 Habitat Based Ecological Analysis Of Urban Industrial Environment: An Appraisal For The Haldia Town, West Bengal Avijit Bera Abstract: The urban ecological landscape of Haldia industrial town represents a semi- natural and altered cultural habitat which can be considered as a manifestation of human interaction with semi-natural environment in the face of industrialization and rapid urbanization. Manmade activities for urban development have brought about several changes in the form of landuse alternation, high pollution level, fragmentation of natural habitat. Which are gradually affecting the habitat character by modifying the semi-natural habitats and also by introducing some man-made habitats. In my present work an attempt has been made to identify and assess each of the urban habitat types in ecological terms and also to evaluate the impact of urbanization on the remnant semi natural habitats of Haldia industrial town. In this paper open source Google image was mainly utilized to analysis the habitat characteristics in site based case study in Haldia town. The founding is very significant to make decision to create eco-friendly situation in spite of the urban development of urban industrial site. Keywords: Urbanization, industrialization, landuse, fragmentation, habitat, decision, spite ———————————————————— 1. INTRODUCTION Along with the semi natural urban habitat totally altered Urban habitat are semi natural in their physical man made artificial habitats are also found in urban areas. characteristics on urban land, but sometimes total Due to diversified nature of urban landscape a verity of alternation are not common in case of urban habitat habitats are found in the urban area. Patchiness and however an amazing range of habitats are found with their fragmentation of urban habitat is one of the major causes of associated plants and animals with on fringe of a town or a species richness in urban habitat. Migration through city. Semi natural habitats of urban land include woodland, anthropogenic medium and introduction of exotic species in parkland, arable land, play ground, buildings, wall, sewage, urban park, garden, and zoo also increases the biodiversity and temple; exemplify the man made or cultural habitat. urban habitat along with the native indigenous species. With the advancement of human civilization more and more Thus the species both plants and animals from interact area comes under urbanization process and this process association in urban environment. This is the unique examined its spatial dimension not only to the physical characteristic of each urban area. Haldia is one of the most suitable places of living but also to the harsh environmental rapidly growing urban centres in West Bengal. Before conditions. Thus urbanization bring more areas under urban (1970) developing centre its, location advantages carry well umbrella and the sometime it influences existing habitat habitat characteristics of different flora and fauna species. It urban centre. Urban landscape is characterized by is located at 50 km upstream from Bay of Bengal at the development of buildings (both residential and residential) confluence of Hooghly and Haldi river, coastal belt transport lines, railway and cannel etc. Along with open advantage, morphologically plain surface, climatologically lands for parking and dumping of waste product, green tropical savahna characteristics is well site for genesis of patches in different from (Garden, park, play ground), Govt. the species. But after (1970) development of urbanization Centre, road. Demand for land in the C.B.D. is usually high and industrialization their habitat characteristics are for this region. The green cover is negligible in that area changed rapidly. Now in Haldia town urban landscapes is and distance increasing from centre the land is becomes characterized by development of building (both residential more open in character. Urban area are not static, they are and residential), infrastructure development, parking, waste constantly expanding around the urban centre become de- product, garden, park, school, playground, administered generated. Sometime abandoned for a period of time while building, along with open land. That is the causes of natural the others are being redeveloped. This dynamic process habitats are totally altered semi natural and artificial continuously shape and reshape urban habitat. Urban habitats. Due to diversified nature of Haldia landscape a habitats face the problems of pollution, disturbance and variety of habitats are found in the urban area. There day to fragmentation which finally affect the plant and animal day species association and diversification and decreased community. due to patchiness and fragmentation of Haldia urban habitat. ____________________ Avijit Bera is a research scholar, currently pursuing 2 STUDY AREAS Ph.D in Post Graduate Dept. Of Geography, Magadh Haldia means the land beside the Haldi river in the local University, Bodhgaya, India, E-mail: Bengali language. But now it’s important industrial centres [email protected] in Eastern India and Gateway to South East Asia. The town Haldia with an existing industrial base is located 77 km downstream of legendary port Kolkata. The Gateway of Eastern India in the southern tip of Purba Medinipur District which forms the southernmost district of Medinipur Division 1682 IJSTR©2019 www.ijstr.org INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH VOLUME 8, ISSUE 11, NOVEMBER 2019 ISSN 2277-8616 in West Bengal. Haldia town located in the estuarine industrialization in the form of pollution, degradation, reaches of the river Bhagirathi and confluence of river fragmentation and conversion etc. Hooghly and river Haldi. It is situated between 22˚03’43.93’’ Research P Identification and delineation of Objective R habitats based on wikimapia map E Municipality Map to 22˚04’53’’North latitude and 88˚07’53.15’’ to Delineation of sub-environments DATA COLLECTION F 88˚09’03.61’’East longitude. The total geographical area of I based on textural variation E Wikimapia Haldia town is 109sq.km. Hooghly River bound detailed L Selection of study sites study area in East. Haldi River demarcates the South D FIELD boundary, Brajlalchak and Sutahata also demarcates the Semi Natural habitat Western and Northern boundary of the study area. Woodland habitat DATA ANALYSIS Grassland habitat POST FIELD Cropland habitat Laboratory analysis of soil Wasteland habitat Species identification Roadside habitat Tabulation Residential habitat Mapping Industrial habitat INTERPRETATION Bio- diversity assessment School habitat Environmental evaluation Playground habitat Impact of industry on urban ecology Temple habitat Environmental damage Artificial habitat REPORT GENERATION Figure 3: Schematic Diagram Showing Methods Followed 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Physiographically, the land of Haldia town is almost flat and the ground level is almost 7 to 13 feet above mean sea Figure 1: Location of the study area level. Broadly viewing point Haldia town is coastal plain of West Bengal and Bangladesh. Hence its geological history is very important. It lies on the ‘South Bengal Basin’ is now covered by recent to sub-recent alluvium of very thick Tertiary sediments. The basement of Bengal Basin is the part of the eastern edge of the Indian plate which is being subducted beneath the ‘Eurasian’ or ‘China’ plate along the ‘Sunda Subduction Zone’ and ‘Naga – Lusai orogenic Belt’. The entire area situated lies on the combined deltaic plain of Damodar and Kasai river. Therefore, in Haldia town there are viewing no many morphometric features on the surface topography without natural levee, Abandan Chanel and Channel bar. The levee is small in length and occurred scattered. Some of the levees remain as an embankment upon which the old settlements are found otherwise the Figure 2: Municipal Wards, Haldia Town, West Bengal surface is absolutely flat so that filling of the ground is general nature for building of the industries and town 3 METHODOLOGY estates. Being near to the sea Haldia town enjoys both Open source satellite image have been used to identify temperate and hot humid climate. According to Koppen’s habitat characteristics and species association on Climate Classification Scheme this region come under landscape. Urban information is collected from Govt. offices Tropical Savannah. The temperate climate may be and Non-Govt. sources. Specimen herbarium and soil observed from November to March and the hot humid samples have been collected during field survey to get the climate prevails on April, May and June followed by ecological character of each patch. The habitats of monsoon till October. The maximum temperature homogeneous character are delineated on the hard copy of throughout the season except three months remains within open source satellite images. Natural, semi natural and the range of 33°C to 36.8°C while the minimum temperature cultural habitats are considered for analysis. Field survey seldom goes below 12°C. Normally in the last part of June has been conducted in each type of habitats for month monsoon arrives in the region and extend up to identification and characterization. Soil samples and August. The intensity of rainfall during monsoon is even herbarium specimens have been collected and analysed for more than 90%. The average annual rainfall is 1700 mm. identification and classification to get the ecological