Adopting modern means of monitoring plantations in Jammu and Kashmir, the Forest department has initiated the process of uploading data on Government of India’s ‘e-Green Watch’ portal to keep a check on the plantation closures across Jammu and Kashmir with the help of satellite.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had also issued directions to the J&K government like other states and union territories to strengthen ‘e-Green Watch’ portal with a motive to integrate concurrent monitoring and evaluation system. The process of uploading plantation data will have to be completed by December 31, 2020.
In this regard, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Executive Officer (CAMPA) Sarvesh Rai said: “It’s a modern monitoring tool in which satellite monitors site after every six months or a year. Hence, the plantation works have to be uploaded on the portal so that it can be monitored.”
He said one can see the changes with the help of satellite.
“We have to upload KML files on the ‘e-Green Watch’ portal to keep monitoring the polygons (GPS mapping – coordinates – of the plantation closures) and other details,” he said.
Rai said, “In certain areas, the site description and estimate of the works may not have been uploaded due to inadequacy of data. Therefore, we are working on it.”
To overcome the deficiency and also to equip the forest officers with the latest skills, he said, the department had also given training to the officers in the Forest department through Forest Survey of India to assist the officers working.
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Additional Chief Secretary Principal Secretary (Forests) had directed all the governments in the country to strengthen the integrated Concurrent Monitoring and Evaluation System or e-Green Watch.
“All states governments and union territory administrations were requested to improve the precision of information hosted on the ‘e-Green Watch’ portal by robust scrutiny of polygons, setting-up of an e-green watch cell headed by the Additional PCCF (CAMPA) and skill developments of field functionaries,” the order reads.
It was directed to all the states and UTs to upload correct and credible information on the portal on a regular basis.