(Tribune)
Concerned over accelerated glacial melting resulting in major reduction in its snow cover, Himachal will now monitor glaciers falling in the Satluj basin with the help of drones. The exercise is being undertaken for the first time in India.Glacial drone, designed specifically to measure the depth and area of a glacier, will be used to monitor Nardu glacier in Sangla valley in Kinnaur district. A US-trained scientist, working with a private institution in Ghaziabad, will help the Council for Science, Technology and Environment use the latest technology being used in other parts of the world to monitor glacial recession.
With the tribal district of Kinnaur in Himachal sharing a 260-km boundary with China, several permissions are being obtained. “The necessary permissions from the Union Ministries of Civil Aviation and Home have been obtained but the clearance from the Ministry of Defence is being processed,” Kunal Satyarthi, Member Secretary of the Council for Science, Technology and Environment, Department of Environment.
