Publisher's Synopsis
Settlement refers to the occupation of land for human living space. Settlements are places where people live and to which they bring materials for consumption and for transformation into other objects. Activities in settlements place demands on other lands and produce wastes out of proportion to their size. As land cover, settlement represents the most profound alteration of the natural environment by people, through the imposition of structures. Settlements also create demands that lead to other land-cover changes. The area of land actually covered by the structures of settlements is small, but it nevertheless marks the most massive change in the flows of energy, water, and materials on the earth's surface. The study analyzes the impact on physical (abiotic) eco system i.e. Land - Air - Water due to urbanization process in a growing urban centre in India.
