Land Use
Land use has a central position in the arrangement of the water sector.
Land use will affect water resources, water use patterns, and water
budgets in an area with spatial
distribution.
Physically, changes in land use from natural areas to man-made areas
often found in urban areas will reduce the capacity of surface water
infiltration into the soil. Changes in land use will also be accompanied
by an increase in water demand and the balance of water budget into a
larger demand side. Changes in land use will also increase the incidence
of flooding. It can also reduce the presence of degraded areas due to
erosion which impact on increasing river sedimentation. Therefore, the
use of existing land and predicted future changes should be considered
in the assessment.