NHAI & ISRO's NRSC to Develop 'Green Cover Index' for Indian National Highways

• 05 Jan 2024

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has recently entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ISRO's National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) to create and assess a comprehensive 'Green Cover Index' for the vast network of Indian National Highways.

Key Points

• Three-Year Collaboration: NHAI and ISRO's NRSC join forces for a three-year collaboration to map the entire Indian National Highway network, utilizing satellite data to develop a 'Green Cover Index' aimed at promoting environmental awareness and sustainable development.
• Regional Quantification: The inaugural assessment focuses on regionally quantifying the Green Cover Index, with subsequent cycles employing scientific methodologies to assess annual green cover growth patterns.
• Green Highways Policy: Since the inception of the Green Highways Policy in 2015, greening highway corridors has been a priority for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and NHAI, currently monitored through on-site visits.
• Tech-Enabled Green Cover Index: NRSC utilizes high-resolution satellite imagery for a pan-India estimation of the 'Green Cover Index' for National Highways, integrating emerging technologies for in-situ data collection, plantation management, and monitoring.
• Robust Mechanism: The innovative approach promises to be a robust and reliable mechanism, offering a time-saving and cost-effective solution for macro-level estimates along national highways, facilitating timely and periodic interventions.
• Granular Metrics: The index provides granular metrics for individual projects/packages, enabling the comparison and ranking of various national highways based on their green cover, contributing to informed decision-making.