The backwaters of Kerala, popularly known as kayals represent a significant feature of the coastal zone and play a crucial role in the socio economic develpment of th state. The retting of coconut husk for the production of coir fibre has resulted in the formation of curious and complex ecosystems in these water-bodies posing seriuos threat to the fishery resources. The thesis is the embodiment of the research activity carried out to understand the application potential of remote sensing technology as a tool to monitor water resources. The investigation was carried out in one of the most important retting areas in the state namely the Anchuthengu-Kodinamkulam estuarine system, Kerala, India.

The environment status of 16 stations of the estuarine system covering retting and non-retting zones were studied with reference to water quality parameters. High turbidity, depletion of dissolved oxygen, production of hydrogen sulphide and collapse of primary productivity mechanism were the important observations noticed during the study. The IRS data were analysed in relation with synchronous ground truth information and delineated the pollution zones and quantified the levels of pollution in various zones. The productivity status and the geomorphologial changes in the coastal system were also analysed using the satellite data with special reference to retting of coconut husk. Satisfied analysis were carried out to derive suitable models to estimate the water quality levels from satellite data. Thus, the results of the present study provided in depth information on the environmental status of the estuarine system and also brought ou the applicant of IRS data for monitoring aquatic ecosystems.