(HT)
The Uttarakhand forest department has introduced new initiatives, including the use of satellite imagery and drones, to enhance transparency in its plantation efforts and accurately assess their success, an official said on Wednesday.
“We have introduced new initiatives such as satellite imagery to assess the success of plantation drives. Until now, we used to physically visit sites to count the number of trees planted. There are several satellites covering Uttarakhand, providing data at various resolutions. Using this satellite data, we can monitor plantations and activities like soil and moisture conservation to evaluate their impact. This is the first time such a technology-driven system is being used for plantation monitoring,” said Rahul, chief conservator of forests (Monitoring, Evaluation, IT, and Modernisation).
He further said that these drones will be used to assess the overall impact of our efforts. “For instance, if a moisture conservation activity has been undertaken, drones help us determine the change in the moisture regime and the increase in vegetation in that area. Drones provide an accurate assessment.”
“All plantations will also be tracked using GPS. For every plantation site, we create a digital file in KML format (a file used to display geographic data in Earth browsers like Google Earth). We then superimpose this digital file onto satellite imagery, which helps us determine the actual area of the plantation, whether the site was suitable, and what impact it has had,” he further said.
“These initiatives will be effective in evaluating plantation success and eliminate the possibility of false plantations,” he added.
While emphasising on the need to bring greater transparency to plantation efforts, forest minister Subodh Uniyal said: “We must maintain a balance between the economy and the environment. Whenever forest land is diverted for roads or other development projects, we are required to provide compensatory land in return.” “Uttarakhand is the only state in the country where forest cover has increased after the formation of the state. Forests are important and so is development.”
This comes months after a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report revealed irregularities in the use of funds meant for forest conservation.
The CAG report, tabled in the state assembly during the budget session in February, stated that the funds meant for compensatory afforestation under CAMPA were diverted to buying iPhones, kitchen appliances, building renovation, even fighting court cases.
The report pointed out that “at the divisional level, ₹13.86 crore were diverted/ expended on inadmissible activities. This included renovation of forest department buildings and purchases of iPhones and computers. The Supreme Court, too, criticised the Uttarakhand government for the diversion of CAMPA funds for non-admissible activities and later closed the matter.
The annual average expenditure under CAMPA in Uttarakhand is around ₹ 300 crore.
In March, the forest department started the process of hiring an external agency for better implementation and transparency in CAMPA activities. However, the officials said they started the process to hire the agency last year, even though an expression of interest was issued on March 25.
