The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has partnered with the National Remote Sensing Centre, Hyderabad to establish a “green cover index.”
This index aims to evaluate and keep track of the amount of greenery along highways.
As per the insider’s report, since the initiation of the Green Highways Policy in 2015, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and NHAI have consistently emphasized the importance of greening highway corridors.
Currently, the monitoring of plantations relies on on-site visits by field personnel.
To enhance data collection and improve plantation management, the NHAI has collaborated with the NRSC, leveraging emerging technologies and high-resolution satellite imagery. The joint effort aims to develop a comprehensive nationwide assessment known as the “Green Cover Index” specifically tailored for National Highways.
Green Cover Index – This index will enable targeted interventions in regions with insufficient green cover.
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The NRSC, headquartered in Hyderabad, specializes in receiving satellite data, generating data products, and developing remote sensing applications.
Successful pilot projects for estimating green cover along National Highways have already been conducted as proof of concept.
According to the latest India State of Forest Report (ISFR 2021), India’s green cover has now extended to almost one-fourth of its total geographical area.
The combined assessment of “forests” and “trees outside recorded forest areas” reveals a notable increase of 2,261 sq km (0.3%) in 2021 compared to the previous evaluation in 2019.
This positive trend indicates a growth in the nation’s greenery.
The primary goal of the project is to capture the Green Cover Index region-wise for National Highways in the initial assessment cycle.
Green Cover Index In India
Subsequent annual cycles will focus on using scientific techniques to estimate the growth patterns of green cover for National Highways.
The index’s findings will facilitate the comparison and ranking of various National Highways, enabling timely and periodic interventions.
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The estimation of green cover for every 1 km length of National Highways will provide detailed metrics for individual projects/packages.
