JoWREM (2020) 16–22 © STM Journals 2020. All Rights Reserved Page 16 Journal of Water Resource Engineering and Management ISSN: 2349-4336 Volume 7, Issue 3 www.stmjournals.com Spatiotemporal Analysis of Wetlands in Ranchi Urban Area, Jharkhand: Proposed National Level Urban Wetland Census Neeraj Kumar Sharma 1, *, Nishi Jaya Kullu 1 , Kumari Anshula 2 1 Jharkhand Space Application Center, Dhurwa, Ranchi-834004, Jharkhand 2 The Institute of Environment Education and Research, Bharati Vidyapeeth University, Pune Abstract Worldwide urban areas are losing the wetlands without any record of their location and spatial extent. Recording the status of wetlands is required urgently in the present scenario of climate change and environmental degradation. In this context, the present study has been carried in Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) area to analyze the distribution and status of wetlands in two different periods i.e. in the year 2005 and year 2018 using high resolution satellite data. The study reveals that in the year 2018 a total of 21 lakes and ponds vanished losing 5.1 ha area to built-up area in 18 wards and 12 lakes and ponds dried-up losing 1.2 ha area in 10 wards. The study suggests the census of urban wetlands at the national level. Keywords: High resolution data, urbanization, lakes and ponds, waterlogged, wetland census *Author for Correspondence E-mail: sharmank@rediffmail.com INTRODUCTION In recent times urban areas are facing the problem of increasing local temperature (Urban Heat Island), depleting ground water level, reduction in the area of surface water and quality, urban flood, and diminution in the aesthetic value of urban landscape[1].These problems are being enhanced with decreasing waterbodies due to encroachment and urban sprawl[1,2,3,4,5].Urban wetlands can reduce overheating of the urban environment in addition to their general function of natural water purification, improve urban air quality, promote human well being and source of employment[5,6,7,8].Despite that 35% of wetlands have been lost globally since 1970 at three times faster rate than forests based on the analysis of available data[9]. This trend is continuing and urbanization is one of the driving factors for such loss of wetlands as 55% of the global population lives in cities and that is projected to be increased by 68% by 2050[10]. Therefore, urban hubs are likely to witness severe water shortages in the future, which could risk urban growth in India and reduce the quality of life for urban citizens[11]. Bengaluru has lost 79% of its wetlands in the last four decades[12]. Lucknow has lost 470 wetlands in 54 years[13]. The area of the wetlands in Chennai city and its suburbs has shrunk from nearly 12.6 sq. km. in 1893 to about 3.2 sq. km. in 2017[14]. About 200 lakes and ponds in the Delhi have been lost and diverted to the other land use types[15].A total of 19% reduction in the area of wetlands has been computed in and around the Hyderabad city in the last12 years[16].Kolkata has lost 44% of its wetlands in the last two decades[17]. These examples are the snapshot of some of the cities out of all the urban areas of the country. This loss of urban wetlands was not documented scientifically due to a lack of mapping of these wetlands. Earlier, mapping of wetlands has been carried out at the national level at 1:50K scale[18]using moderate resolution satellite data. However, at present, there is an urgent need to map the small wetlands in urban areas at the national level followed by a system in place for their monitoring. In this context, the present study has been carried out to map the wetlands in each ward of the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) area using two different