The current study intended to geospatially analyze the potentiality and site suitability of geo-ecotourism in West Bengal, India. The state of West Bengal is a great platform for diverse tourism and has enormous potential to cultivate geo-ecotourism, as has come up in recent years. The current effort throws some valuable light on the possibility of turning the many geologically, geomorphologically and ecologically significant tourist spots of West Bengal into geo-ecotourism sites, aided with geospatial techniques. The study deals with the qualitative and quantitative investigation of the potentiality of the whole state by dividing it into several geo-ecotourism zones, based on its physiographic setting and Land Use Land Cover (LULC) features, using satellite image data. The application of geospatial technology combined with Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) was employed for this geospatial analysis to portray the potential zones using cartographic and statistical techniques. Furthermore, nine criteria were selected to run the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method to determine the site suitability for geo-ecotourism. The present submission attempts to record the mapping and analysis of geo-ecotourism of West Bengal employing a secondary database, an expert’s opinions and primary observations, with the application of the AHP method and GIS. The outcomes of the study were found to be very significant, as they indicate a proviso for geo-ecotourism development in the state and will contribute to the formation of location-specific planning and the sustainable management of geo-ecotourism.

The present study intended to assess groundwater storage dynamics (GWS) and identify potential zones using the Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) method and geospatial technology in the Murshidabad district of West Bengal, India. The study district is located in the Ganga–Padma–Bhagirathi rivers’ floodplain and covers approximately a 5324 km² area, comprising 26 blocks in five sub-divisions. The study portrayed a quantitative investigation of the pre-monsoon and post-monsoon season’s variability of GWS from 2000 to 2020, taking Landsat TM/Landsat 8 OLI/SRTM satellite data. The geo-spatio-temporal analysis of groundwater storage variability for 20 years was carried out by such remotely sensed data with the geospatial method to portray the dynamics and uncover the potential zones of GWS using various cartographic and statistical techniques. We determined nine parameters for the study, and the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method was employed for the computation. The present estimation and assessment include the MCDM method, covering assorted parameters and the variations and aspects of GWS in the pre- and post-monsoon seasons from 2000 to 2020. The outcome illustrates that a decline in water storage has taken place in most of the blocks of Murshidabad district on average during the study period, which indicates a water stress provison in the near future. However, the micro (block)-level scenario of the spatiotemporal dynamics of GWS and the potential zonation in the Murshidabad District were investigated to form a location-specific micro-level arrangement for the sustainable management of water.

Industrialization is one of the fundamental pre-conditions for the development of civilization. The strength of a country’s economy is judged by the level of development of its manufacturing industries. Industries have a major role in the utilization of resources as they transform these resources into more valuable goods, generate more wealth and raise income levels thereby contributing to the economic development of a country. On the flip side, industries release toxic pollutants and wastes that have adverse effects on the environment. The planned development of industries in India has succeeded to the extent that the nation has been able to diversify her industrial base and is able to produce a wide range of products. But industrial expansion and siting has not always been carried out in a sustainable manner. This is more so in case of areas such as forests and settlements that are particularly susceptible to adverse environmental impacts than others. The present paper is a part of the project “ Spatial Environmental Planning Programme” (SEPP) sponsored by the Central Pollution Control Board, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Govt. of India. In this paper an attempt has been made to find out suitable locations for industrial siting in Puruliya district, West Bengal. This may be considered as baseline geospatial information for the identification of suitable industrial sites that take into consideration the interrelationship between anthropogenic development and biophysical environment. The present study is based on information derived from various physico-environmental parameters and different theme maps have been used for this purpose. The subtraction method has been used to find out suitable locations for siting of industries following Central Pollution Control Board guidelines. The analysis has been carried out in Arc-GIS software using various geo-processing techniques. Eight industrial siting zones have been identified in Puruliya district that are suitable to a particular type of industry. The analysis reveals that there is a possibility of setting up high air and high water polluting industries (Z4Wh) throughout the district while high air and medium water polluting industries (Z4Wm) can come up along the right bank of the Damodar River in the eastern part of the district.