Delhi govt explores tech to check tree-felling – Hindustan Times

The Delhi forest and wildlife division is about to include know-how to trace the potential felling of bushes, individuals conscious of the matter mentioned.

The event comes even because the Supreme Courtroom has been listening to a contempt plea over the unlawful felling of over 1,100 bushes in a notified forest of the southern Ridge by the Delhi Growth Authority (DDA). Whereas listening to the plea, the apex court docket had requested the forest division and Delhi’s Tree Authority (DTA) to maintain a continuing vigil on felling of bushes sooner or later.

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Officers within the forest division mentioned in mild of the highest court docket’s order, they’re planning to utilise LiDaR (Mild Detection and Ranging) — a distant sensing methodology that makes use of lasers to measure distances and create 3D maps of objects — to map out Delhi’s inexperienced areas and monitor tree felling over a time frame. The identical know-how is at present being utilised to map out Delhi’s geo-morphological Ridge.

“In idea, it’s potential to map out all inexperienced cowl, as LiDaR know-how reveals all options in an space, full with its form and elevation change. If a tree will get reduce, it may possibly inform us through which space bushes had been felled,” a senior forest official mentioned, on situation of anonymity.

The official mentioned {that a} administration plan for the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary is already being formulated by Wildlife Institute of India (WII). “An alternative choice is to geo-tag all bushes, however it will once more require vital money and time,” the official mentioned.

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A second forest official mentioned that the plan is to have a look at a technique that can alert the authorities instantly when a tree is felled.

“An actual-time mechanism exists with the Forest Survey of India (FSI), the place they get an alert if a tree is felled or if there’s a hearth in a hard and fast space. That is carried out utilizing satellite tv for pc know-how. For a real-time mannequin, one thing comparable might must be explored,” the second official mentioned, additionally requesting anonymity.

The division is at present taking a look at the price of totally different applied sciences earlier than finalising on one, the officers mentioned.

In 2000-01, the Delhi authorities deployed the territorial military ETF to revive and rehabilitate over 2,100 acres of the southern Ridge. For this, 132 Infantry Battalion (TA) ECO Rajput was deployed.

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The division additionally has plans to extend the variety of eco activity drive (ETF) personnel at present deployed within the southern Ridge from 200 staffers to round 400-450, the official mentioned.

“These further ETF members can be deployed in different forest areas of Delhi too, in addition to alongside the Yamuna floodplains,” the second forest official mentioned.

Environmental activist Bhavreen Kandhari mentioned the forest division must be extra vigilant on the bottom and be extra clear, although the transfer to include know-how is welcome. “Regardless of a number of court docket orders prior to now, the forest division nonetheless doesn’t show any knowledge on the variety of tree felling permissions given for any forest division in Delhi. Equally, there isn’t any knowledge on tree pruning. Till there may be transparency and a sturdy mechanism the place individuals can complain, such know-how won’t assist,” she mentioned.