The index will draw on satellite technology to assess and enhance environmental sustainability along India's vast highway network, supporting a key focal area for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways
The NHAI (National Highways Authority of India) and the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), a division of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), have sewn up a three-year Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop and report a "Green Cover Index" for the extensive network of National Highways in India.
Since the initiation of the Green Highways Policy in 2015, the greening of Highway Corridors has been a central focus for the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) and NHAI. Currently, on-site visits by field personnel are the primary means of monitoring plantations.
To enhance in-situ data collection and supplement plantation management and monitoring, the NRSC will utilise emerging technologies and high-resolution satellite imagery to undertake a comprehensive pan-India estimation of green cover, referred to as the "Green Cover Index" for National Highways.
This approach aims to provide a robust and reliable mechanism, saving time and costs while generating a macro-level estimate of greenness along National Highways. Additionally, it will enable targeted interventions in regions with insufficient green cover.
Headquartered in Hyderabad, NRSC is responsible for establishing ground stations for receiving satellite data, generating data products, and developing techniques for remote sensing applications. The NRSC has already successfully conducted pilot projects for estimating green cover along National Highways.
The project's overarching goal is to capture the Green Cover Index region-wise for National Highways in the first assessment cycle.
Subsequent annual cycles will focus on estimating the growth patterns of green cover across National Highways using scientific techniques. The index's findings will facilitate the comparison and ranking of various National Highways for timely and periodic intervention. With green cover estimated for every 1 km length of the National Highways, granular metrics for individual projects and packages can be generated.
This initiative underscores a commitment to evaluate NHAI's role in fostering the green transformation of highways, contributing to the nation's overall environmental well-being.