The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) would
launch a dedicated forest satellite to keep an eye on the country’s
forest cover on a daily basis.
The ministry is in talks with the
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to work out intricate details
of the project, which would facilitate real time data of forests in the
country and help the officials monitor the hotspots, check illegal
chopping of trees, get details of forest fire and update the national
forest inventories.
The move could bring a massive change in the
management and monitoring of forests in the country, besides expediting
green clearances which currently get delayed because of the
unavailability of accurate forest data. Union Minister of Environment,
Forest and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar is taking special interest
in the project, especially in the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi
issuing directions to all Central ministries to increase the use of
satellite technology.
The Railway Ministry has already sought the
ISRO’s help for containing accidents on unmanned railway crossings,
while Minister of Water Resources and Ganga Rejuvenation Uma Bharti has
roped in the space agency to keep a tab on the polluting industries
along the banks of Ganga.
A senior MoEF official, who is privy
to the development, said, “Currently, we get the data from other
agencies but there are a lot of discrepancies.
The data from the
Forest Survey of India (FSI) puts the forest cover at 22 per cent of the
country’s geographical area, while the ISRO has different figures.
It
is very embarrassing that the two government agencies have as many
separate figures. Having our own satellite means we will get the raw
data from the Indian Space Research Organisationand our experts can
analyse forest cover.”
A dedicated satellite could offer the
governments, businesses and communities insight into how forests in the
region are changing.
“The need (for a dedicated forest satellite)
was felt as project clearances sometimes get delayed in the absence of
accurate and up-to-date data related to pristine forest.
“Several
mining projects are also stuck because there is confusion over the
density and quality of forest cover. While diverting forest cover for
non-forest purposes, project proponents are expected to submit a
detailed report of the number of trees felled. “Often, the data was
found to be inaccurate. Having real time data will solve the entire
problem and help in expediting green clearances,” the official said.
Though
the cost of the satellite would be decided only after the ministry
finalises the specifications and the sensors it would require, Javadekar
has decided to take up the matter with the Department of Space to make
it cost-effective.
The MoEF has notified its requirement and
specifications to the ISRO and asked it to provide a detailed report on
the cost and the resources needed. Senior ministry officials have held
several meetings with the ISRO to discuss the plan.
Currently, the FSI brings out a report on the state of Indian forest once in two years.
The
Ministry of Environment and Forests has recently started using the
Geographic Information System (GSI) to monitor afforestation across the
country in lieu of diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes to
companies for infrastructure and other projects.
