Dynamics of the Aquacultural Intensification in the Godavari-Krishna Inter Delta Region in India and Its Impact on Ecological Balance

Abstract

One of India’s mega deltas, the Godavari-Krishna inter delta, has abundant natural resources that are good for the growth of agriculture. However, regional limitations are also rapidly giving way to aquaculture. In the coastal districts of Andhra Pradesh, particularly in the West Godavari and Krishna districts, aquaculture is one of the land feature classes that is expanding quickly. The other land cover elements, including vegetation and built-up areas, will be negatively impacted by aquaculture’s unrestrained and indiscriminate expansion. Geographic information system (GIS) software was used to evaluate the dynamic changes in land use and land cover between 2013 and 2019. With the loss of about 650 square kilometers in both deltas, agricultural practices are changing to intensive aquaculture with an emphasis on increasing yields rather than lowering environmental quality. In the short period between 2013 and 2019, 16.5% of the agricultural land in the Godavari-Krishna delta was cleared to make way for infrastructure improvements and aquaculture. The essential components of the Godavari-Krishna delta aquaculture scenario are also highlighted in this research. The Godavari-Krishna delta is changing coastal ecology and is vividly depicted in this study. © 2024, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.