THE GEO-SPATIAL APPROACH TO DETECT THE CHANGE IN VEGETATION AND LAND SURFACE TEMPERATURE (LST) AFTER FORMATION OF ROHINGYA SETTLEMENTS IN BANGLADESH

Abstract

The goal of this study is to examine the effects of Rohingya Influx specially on vegetation land cover and LST in Teknaf Peninsula, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh over time. For doing so, the research followed three steps. Firstly, the primary and secondary data were collected from prescribed sources like LANDSAT 8 images from Earth Explorer (USGS) and the Shapefiles were collected from secondary sources. Then, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Land Surface Temperature (LST) functions are explored in geospatial environment to assess the effect of deforestation on the region. Finally, A correlation is shown between LST and NDVI for making a decision from the environmental perspective. The findings state that, the region around the Rohingya Camps progressively lost its vegetation density as a result of increasing deforestation. According to this analysis, there was 87.87 % vegetation cover in 2013, which gradually decreased before the Rohingya Invasion in 2017. After the incident in 2018, vegetation cover drops to 75.67 %. Similarly, area with no vegetation increased more rapidly than others. The outcome showed that the transition in land cover was quicker and more noticeable in recent time. As a result, the LST has been increasing over the years. According to the study, there were around 8.71 % of areas with high temperatures in 2013, which increased to 36.86 % in 2020. It indicates that a large quantity of vegetation has been lost as a result of deforestation, and the LST of this region has changed dramatically. Furthermore, data was examined by Union to assess the individual effect from 5 Rohingya camps, and it was discovered that the situation in Teknaf Union is terrible, while the situation in Baharchhara Union is comparably better. Finally, the results of the research encourage an extensive regional environmental policy to eradicate this problem. To recompense the loss of nature govt. and responsible department should take necessary steps like hill conservation or tree plantation.