Satellite images to track water body violations in Noida

NOIDA: Alarmed by rising cases of encroachment of water bodies in Gautam Budh Nagar, the district administration has decided to map the nearly 100 water channels in Noida and Greater Noida by end-March.
Officials said satellite images of the area will soon be sent to Uttar Pradesh State Remote Sensing Applications Centre (UPSRSAC) in Lucknow, which will analyze the images and prepare a report.Based on the findings, anti-encroachment drives to reclaim the land would then be launched, they said.
The move comes after repeated complaints about water bodies being illegally filled for commercial use, said district officials. "We’re taking steps for strict implementation of protection of water bodies, which are being encroached rampantly in violation of rules. UPSRSAC has been appointed to provide details of the location of water bodies, based on satellite images they have taken," said district forest officer K K Singh.
Singh said the data will be sent to the state government and the central ministry of environment and forests (MoEF). The area monitored by satellite imagery will include blocks of Bisrakh, Dadri, Dankaur and Jewar.
Officials said satellite mapping will be done every three months and the data compared, to earmark exact size and location of water bodies. "This process will help identify any area that is encroached even slightly, and will give the exact measure of the water body being photographed. We’ll lodge FIRs against those found involved in encroachment and penalize them once we receive the report from UPSRSAC," said Pushpraj Singh, city magistrate of Greater Noida.