Temporal and Spatial Variations in Surface Water and its Interrelations with Land Surface Temperature and Rainfall Patterns in Chattogram City, Bangladesh

Abstract

The study focuses on the critical role of surface water as a strategic resource and ecological element in promoting sustainable communities. In Chattogram City, Bangladesh, rapid urbanization has led to the continuous destruction of surface water bodies, replaced by urban built-up areas. Simultaneously, climate change has disrupted rainfall patterns, resulting in water logging and urban flooding. The research aims to assess the status and degradation of surface water bodies and their connection with land surface temperature (LST) and rainfall patterns from 2001 to 2021. Remote sensing and GIS techniques were utilized for land use/land cover classification, LST analysis, Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI), and rainfall data retrieval. Over the past two decades, approximately 20.51% of surface water bodies were lost, with 37% converted into urban areas, 28% into vegetation and agriculture, and 3% into bare land. This transformation has led to increased urban temperature, regular flash floods, and waterlogging. Preserving water bodies is crucial to improve drainage systems and mitigate unexpected water logging, urban flash flooding, and temperature rise, thus contributing to the city's sustainability in the future.