Assessing land degradation and drought vulnerability in the Trans-Gangetic Plains using Google Earth Engine and...

The Trans-Gangetic Plains (TGP) is a distinct region in northwestern India encompassing the states of Punjab, Haryana, the union territories of Delhi and Chandigarh, and the Ganganagar district of Rajasthan. Although the region plays a critical role in India's food security through substantial wheat and rice production, it is increasingly threatened by land degradation and drought vulnerability. Existing studies often lack integrated, large-scale assessments combining land degradation and drought analysis in this region. Addressing this gap, the present study utilizes Google Earth Engine and remote sensing-based SDG 15.3.1 indicators to evaluate land productivity, soil organic carbon loss, land cover change, and drought susceptibility across the TGP. The assessment reveals a 214% surge in artificial land cover between 2001 and 2022, primarily at the expense of grasslands, wetlands, and croplands, leading to declines in biodiversity, carbon sequestration, and soil water retention. Additionally, 2.93% of the area showed soil organic carbon degradation, further stressing ecosystem health. Despite relative stability in agricultural productivity, recurrent moderate to severe droughts affected over 75% of the region in peak years (e.g., 2002, 2009, 2014), largely driven by El Niño events and groundwater overextraction. The findings highlight that the western and central TGP regions are particularly vulnerable and emphasize the need for integrated site-specific soil and water conservation strategies. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of open-source remote sensing platforms for large-scale degradation monitoring and suggests that integrating climate-smart agriculture and afforestation programs will be vital to enhancing resilience and achieving long-term sustainability.