New Delhi, Mar 23: Space-based inputs are being used in Jammu and Kashmir for disaster monitoring and damage assessment during major natural disasters such as floods, landslides and forest fires, the Government of India said on Monday.
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, and Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh said geospatial products including flood inundation maps, landslide inventory and forest fire detection are being disseminated through ISRO geoportals such as Bhuvan and the National Database for Emergency Management.
The minister said ISRO has also developed a customised mobile application and dashboard for forest fire reporting in collaboration with the Jammu and Kashmir Forest Department, using geospatial technology for improved monitoring and visualisation.
He said ISRO and the Jammu and Kashmir Remote Sensing Application Centre are working together for Union Territory-level implementation of space application programmes, including Natural Resources Census, National Wetland Inventory, Biodiversity Characterisation, Desertification and Land Degradation Mapping, and disaster management support.
According to the reply, the Space-Based Information Support for Decentralised Planning–Update programme was also jointly executed to promote evidence-driven planning in sectors such as agriculture, forestry, rural development and watershed management.
The government further informed the House that ISRO has established the Satish Dhawan Centre for Space Science at the Central University of Jammu, where faculty members and research scholars are provided access to ISRO facilities to strengthen learning and deepen understanding of space technology.
It said ISRO has also set up the Space Technology Incubation Centre at NIT Jalandhar and the Regional Academic Centre for Space at NIT Kurukshetra for the northern region, including Jammu and Kashmir. These programmes, the government said, provide students opportunities to work on space technology-related projects, while colleges and institutions in the region can also submit proposals to participate in ISRO projects.
In addition, the minister said ISRO’s RESPOND sponsored research programme allows academic institutions across the country, irrespective of location, to submit project proposals and take part in space technology-related research.
The government said ISRO is also supporting the use of space inputs and geospatial tools for disaster early warning and coordination through the National Database for Emergency Management under the Integrated Control Room for Emergency Response of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
It said the platform integrates satellite-based early warning inputs with alerts issued by agencies such as the India Meteorological Department, Central Water Commission and Defence Geoinformatics Research Establishment, while also offering decision support tools for emergency response, post-disaster need assessment and disaster resource coordination.
