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List of Table and figures

Figure 6.1 Agra Master Plan 2001-2021

Figure 6.2 Agra Municipal and Planning Boundary

Figure 6.3 Agra Master Plan – Zonal Plan

Figure 6.4 Agra Master Plan Distribution 2021

Figure 6.5 Agra Master Plan 2021

Figure 6.6 Existing Landuse

Figure 6.7 Land use 2020 (Planning Boundary Break)

Figure 6.8 Land use 2020 (Municipal Boundary Break)

Figure 6.9 Land use 2020 Pop-up map.

Figure 6.10 Land Use 2020 (Key Map)

Figure 6.11 Land use 2020 Pop-up map.

Table 6.1 Proposed Landuse As Per Master Plan 2021

Table 6.2 Land Use - Diffence Between Planning & Municipal Boundary

Table 6.3 Land use 2020 Planning Boundary

Table 6.4 Land use 2020 Municipal Boundary

Table 6.5 Land use Comparison map.

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CHAPTER 6
LAND USE

6.1 INTRODUCTION
Land use and land cover is an important component to understand global land status; it shows
present as well as past status of the earth surface. Land use and land cover are two separate
terminologies which are often used interchangeably. Land cover is a basic parameter which
evaluates the content of earth surface as an important factor that affects the condition and
functioning of the ecosystem. Land cover is a biophysical state of the Earth surface, which
can be used to estimate the interaction of biodiversity with the surrounding environment.
Nowadays, land use land cover analysis plays an important role in the field of environmental
science and natural resource management. Pressures on forest especially in the tropical world
to provide economic resources have been increasing rapidly as a consequence of burgeoning
population in the region. This has led to unabated deforestation, which has been recognized
as one of the major drivers of biodiversity loss as well as a threat to the existence of the
global ecological lung. Agra is a historical land with three world heritage sites. Once the area
along the river Yamuna hosted dense mixed forest. The beauty of the Taj was enhanced by
both the river and the forest. Singh (1989) has described change detection as a process that
observes the differences of an object or phenomena at different times.

The first Master Plan of Agra was prepared for the plan period 1971-2001. In this Master Plan
the land use was prepared for an area of 8360 Ha. The second Master Plan for a plan period of
2001-2021 map below stands approved and the land use break up is provided for an area of
20036.97 Ha Would be utilised for urban activities, including housing, commerce, industries,
Tourism, community services, transport, parks, amusement and entertainment centres, parks
and parking spaces. About 50 per cent of area is for residential use and about 2 percent for
commercial use.
The Master Plans 2001 approved by the Govt. of Uttar Pradesh in the year 1973 envisage
following land use break up for the additional land of the order of 8360 Ha.

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 OUTLINE DEVELOPMENT PLAN, AGRA |3

Figure 6.1 Agra Master Plan 2001-2021

Figure 6.2 Agra Municipal and Planning Boundary

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Figure 6.3 Agra Master Plan – Zonal Plan

 The second Master Plan for a plan period of 2001-2021. stands approved and the land use
break up is provided for an area of 20036.97 Ha. would be utilized for urban activities,
including housing, commerce, industries, tourism, community services, transport, parks,
amusement and entertainment centers, parks and parking spaces.
 About 50 per cent of area is for residential use and about 2 percent for commercial use.
• The major Land use in Agra are Industrial, Institutional and mixed Residential
cumCommercial activities
The revised Master Plan 2021 takes into account the requirements of growing urban
population of 2021 and focusing on city's historical and archaeological significance. Master
Plan 2021 envisages an urban area of the order of 20,000 Ha which has been subdivided into
various land uses as given in the

Table 6.1 Proposed Landuse As Per Master Plan 2021

S. No Land use Area (in hac.) Percentage
1 Residentia 9923.8 49.53
2 Commercial 544.17 2.72
3 Industrial 1606.31 8.01
4 Office 508.4 2.54
5 Tourism 178.18 0.89
6 Public & Semi Public 1763.4 8.8
7 Traffic & Transportation 2161.6 10.79
8 Recreation & Open spaces 875.4 4.37
9 Recreation & Open spaces 421.58 2.1
10 Others 2054.13 10.25
Total 20036.97 100

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Figure 6.4 Agra Master Plan Distribution 2021

Figure 6.5 Agra Master Plan 2021

Table 6.2 Land Use - Diffence Between Planning & Municipal Boundary

Figure 6.6 Existing Landuse

2020

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Table 6.3 Land use 2020 Planning Boundary up

Figure 6.7 Land use 2020 (Planning Boundary Break up )

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Table 6.4 Land use 2020 Municipal Boundary

Figure 6.8 Land use 2020 (Municipal Boundary Break)

Up)

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EXISTING LANDUSE 2020 (MUNICIPAL BOUNDARY)

SR.NO. LANDUSE AREA IN Ha. AREA IN %

1 RESIDENTIAL 6235.87 48.07%

2 COMMERCIAL 302.54 2.33%
3 PUBLIC SEMI PUBLIC 689.25 5.31%
4 WATER BODY 302.56 2.33%
5 VACANT LAND 603.85 4.65%
6 TRANSPORT 1115.32 8.60%
7 OPEN SPACES 328.78 2.53%
8 MIXED USE 98.23 0.76%
9 INDUSTRIAL 658 5.07%
10 FORESTS 1125.65 8.68%
11 AGRICULTURE 1503.56 11.59%
12 CANTONTMENT 1007.71

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Figure 6.9 Land use 2020 Pop-up Figure 6.10 Land Use 2020 (Key Map)
map.

Figure 6.11 Land use 2020 Pop-up map.

Central City Core Land
use
 The central city of Agra is dominated by institutional
buildings along the main road
 Second dominating land use is commercial which is existing
all along the roads (the bazaar streets) in older areas.
 Thirdly the residential areas acquire the maximum land use
as we move radially outward from the city core.
 Primarily Agra is a residential city with Industries growing at
faster especially to the outward ring road.
 High density low rise residential area following Taj mahal
towards its south making the area very congested.
 Main roads dominated by hotels and other commercial
activities due to the presence of heritage site in the vicinity.

Table 6.5 Land use Comparison

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6.2 LAND COVER

Land use and land cover is an important component to understand global land
status; it shows present as well as past status of the earth surface. Land use and
land cover are two separate terminologies which are often used interchangeably.
Land cover is a basic parameter which evaluates the content of earth surface as
an important factor that affects the condition and functioning of the ecosystem.
Land cover is a biophysical state of the Earth surface, which can be used to
estimate the interaction of biodiversity with the surrounding environment.
Nowadays, land use land cover analysis plays an important role in the field of
environmental science and natural resource management. Pressures on forest
especially in the tropical world to provide economic resources have been
increasing rapidly as a consequence of burgeoning population in the region. This
has led to unabated deforestation, which has been recognized as one of the major
drivers of biodiversity loss as well as a threat to the existence of the global
ecological lung. Agra is a historical land with three world heritage sites. Once
the area along the river Yamuna hosted dense mixed forest. The beauty of the Taj
was enhanced by both the river and the forest. Singh (1989) has described change
detection as a process that observes the differences of an object or phenomena at
different times.
6.2.1 Built up land
Built up is an area of human habitation which has a cover of buildings and
network of transport and other civic amenities. In the present study, built-up
class include settlement, commercial/industrial zones, educational, governmental
offices, roads, hospital and religious categories. The study area has seen
unprecedented and haphazard growth in this sector. Agra is a famous tourist
place in north India. Due to tourist activities and population growth, land under
residential blocks, hotels, lodges, gardens and waste dumping places have
increased. Nucleated settlement is seen throughout the study area. The extent of
built up has increased rapidly in the span of 60 years. Built-up area has increased
from 83.60 Km2 in 2001 to 141 Km2 in 2020 (increase in 57.4 Km2). Villages
and small settlements have been encompassed in the rapid urban sprawl of the
study area. In general, it has been observed that the settlements having
scattered/dispersed built up area in 2001 has been converted to nucleated
settlement whereas the urban fringe/rural areas having already dense built up
area has been converted to large semi-urbanized to urbanized nucleated zones.
The general trend of settlement distribution was observed in the northern and
central part of Agra (its adjoining areas – Gopal Pura, Lohamandi, Sadar etc) and
the area adjoining the Yamuna river (Dayalbagh, Tajganj and Poiya Ghat area).
The maximum amount of conversion to build up has occurred from agriculture
over the past 60 years

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Figure 6.2.1 Built Up Land Cover Map (2020)

Figure 6.2.2 Builtup Land Cover
4%

36%

60%

WATER BODY BUILD UP UNBUILT

In Agra Planning Boundary there is 4% of water body, 36% of built-up and 60% unbuilt area

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