Lok Sabha Question No. 3618 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-08-08
Subject: Light Detection and Ranging based Survey
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Poonam (Mahajan) Vajendla Rao, Debasree Chaudhuri

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOKSABHA UNSTARRED QUESTIO N NO.3618

TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.08.2022

## Light Detection and Ranging based Survey

## 3618.  SHRIMATI POONAM MAHAJAN: MS. DEBASREE CHAUDHURI:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has released the Detailed Project Reports of Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) based survey of forest areas in different States especially  in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh;
- (b) if so, the details thereof along with the number of States to be covered;
- (c) whether it is also a fact that all State Governments have been asked to work to make this project successful and if so, the response of the State Governments thereto; and
- (d) whether use of LIDAR technology will help augment water and fodder in jungle areas thereby reducing human animal conflict and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  ENVIRONMENT,  FOREST  AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a) &(b) Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has commissioned a project for  survey  of  degraded  forest  area  in  about  10000  ha  each  in  26  States/UTs including Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh, using LiDAR technology and preparation  of  Detailed  Project  Reports(DPRs)  for  Soil  Moisture  Conservation (SMC) works. 25 DPRs pertaining to Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra,  Manipur,  Nagaland,  Tripura,  Gujarat,  Rajasthan, Odisha,  Mizoram,  Himachal  Pradesh,  Karnataka,  Tamil  Nadu,  Andhra  Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana and West Bengal States  have  been  finalized  so  far.  One  DPR  pertaining  to  Jammu  and  Kashmir could  not  be  taken  up  due  to  problem  in  getting  flying  permission  for  LiDAR Survey from M/o Defence and hence has been dropped.
- (c) All  participating  States  have  been  advised  to  implement  the  DPRs  with  funds available  with  them,  such  as  State  Plan  Funds,  State  Fund  under  Compensatory Afforestation Fund, Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) etc .
- (d) The  DPRs  have  been  prepared  using  LiDAR  technology  in  which  3-D  (three dimensional)  DEM  (Digital  Elevation  Model),  is  prepared  based  on  survey  of vegetation, streams and water catchments. The DPRs recommend different types of soil and water conservation structures such as Anicut, Gabion, Gully Plug, Mini percolation  tank,  Percolation  Tank,  Field  bund,  Sunken  pond,  Farm  pond,

Plantations  of  trees  including  fodder  plants  etc.  Appropriate  soil  and  water conservation structures at specific locations help in catching and retention of rain water and prevent stream run off which helps in ground water recharge and greater surface  water  availability  for  wild  animals  and  for  regeneration  of  trees  and grasses. It also prevents soil erosion, thus reducing further degradation of the area. The  resultant  improved  regeneration  and  enhanced  fodder  availability  in  forest areas  encourages  wild  animals  to  remain  inside  forest  and  not  to  enter  the adjoining  areas  in  search  of  food  and  fodder,  thereby  reducing  human-animal conflict out of such wild animals.

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