Assessment of Water Clarity in Surface Waterbodies using Remote Sensing Technology: A study in Krishnagar-I C. D. Block, Nadia, West Bengal, India

Theapplicationof remotesensingtechnologyindeterminingandassessingwaterbodiesforsustainableusehasbecomearecenttrendinevaluatingenvironmentalstatus.Thispaperfocusesontheuseof remotesensingtechnologyspecificallyformonitoringwaterqualitystatus.Thistechnologyofferssignificantopportunitiesformonitoringandmanagingwaterqualityatamicrolevelacrosslargeareas.Inthepresentstudy,somewaterparameters,suchasturbidity,chlorophyll-a,andtotalsuspendedsolids(TSS)wereanalysedusingremotesensingtechnology.Basedontheseparameters,acompositeindexcalledthesurfacewaterclarityindex(SWCI)wasdevelopedtoassesstheoverallhealthconditionof waterbodies.Thestudyidentified99.64%(2,506)of thewaterbodiesasnaturaland0.35%(9)asmanmade.Amongthetotal2,515waterbodies,29.46%(741)exhibitedhighsurfacewaterclarity(clearwater),60.91%(1,532)exhibitedmoderateclarity(moderatelyclearwater),and9.62%(242)exhibitedlowclarity(turbidwater).Notably,9.77%(241)ofnaturallakesorpondsand5.55%(1)of naturalwaterloggedareaswereclassifiedashavinglowwaterclarityorturbidwaterinthisarea.Inconclusion,remotesensingtechnologyisavaluableandcost-effectivetoolforwaterresourcemanagement.Furthermore,thestudyemphasizesthatthewaterbodieswithlowsurfacewaterclaritycanberestoredthroughtheapplicationof suitablenature-basedsolutions(NBS),providingapathwaytosustainablewaterresourcemanagement Key Words: Remote Sensing, Sentinel-2, Surface Water Clarity Index, Monitoring Status, Sustainable Water Management, Krishnagar-I