Unraveling spatio-temporal dynamics of eco-environmental quality in Brahmani-Dwarka interfluve using an integrated remote sensing ecological index and optimal parameter-based GeoDetector approach

Stone crushing and mining activities in the Brahmani-Dwarka interfluve have significantly contributed to environmental degradation, emphasising the need to assess their impact on environmental quality. This study aims to fill this research gap by evaluating environmental quality using the Eco-Environmental Quality index (EEQ) and employing a remote sensing-based technique. The study further employed spatial autocorrelation analysis to identify evolving hotspots of EEQ and utilised optimal parameter-based Geodetector (OPGD) methods to assess its spatial heterogeneity. This research is significant for its distinctive approach to evaluating EEQ in a stone-crushing and mining context, and for applying OPGD, a method rarely used to assess EEQ heterogeneity. The findings revealed that poor and very poor ecological zones expanded from 19.17 km 2 in 1993 to 57.81 km 2 in 2023, mainly along industrial clusters. Between 1993 and 2023, 11.41 km 2 of the region shifted into highly degraded classes and nearly 80 km 2 into degraded categories. Spatial autocorrelation remained strong across all years (Moran’s I = 0.728–0.850), and LISA maps consistently identified stable high–high hotspots around major mining and stone-crushing clusters. Geodetector results indicated that elevation, proximity to stone-crushing sites, proximity to mining sites, and their interactions were the key factors linked to EEQ heterogeneity. Validation of the EEQ maps demonstrated good predictive performance and robustness, as evidenced by consistently high AUC values of 0.865, 0.831, 0.731, and 0.695 for the years 2023, 2013, 2003, and 1993, respectively. The findings will provide policymakers with valuable insights for developing strategies to promote environmental resilience in the region.