Kashmir Impulse Desk
New Delhi, Aug 6
The government has expanded the use of satellite-based applications and space technology in Jammu and Kashmir over the past five years, covering disaster management, agriculture, water resources, urban planning, environmental monitoring and telecommunications, the government said on Thursday.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Department of Space (DoS) have implemented a range of projects in Jammu and Kashmir, while 12 operational communication satellites currently provide coverage over J&K, Minister of State for Space Jitendra Singh said in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha.
The satellite capacity is being offered to various service providers to improve telecommunication services and broadband connectivity in the region, he said.
Among the major initiatives, ISRO is implementing the Satellite Integrated Landslide Assessment and Alert System (SILAAS) project to map landslides using satellite data and generate village-wise landslide alerts.
The agency has also completed landslide inventory mapping for the 2023 monsoon season covering all districts of Jammu and Kashmir.
Under the National Hydrology Project, ISRO has prepared an inventory of glacial lakes in Jammu and Kashmir and generated Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) hazard and risk maps for Mundiksar Lake in the Indus River basin.
The space agency is monitoring the Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP) and the Watershed Development Component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (WDC-PMKSY) 2.0 across the districts of Anantnag, Bandipora, Baramulla, Budgam, Doda, Ganderbal, Jammu, Kathua, Kishtwar, Kulgam, Kupwara, Poonch, Pulwama, Rajouri, Ramban, Reasi, Samba, Shopian, Srinagar and Udhampur using geospatial technologies.
Under the Urban Waterbody Information System (UWaIS) project under AMRUT 2.0, water bodies have been mapped in Anantnag, Jammu and Srinagar.
ISRO is also implementing the Geo-MGNREGA Phase II project across the same 20 districts to support planning and monitoring of rural employment works under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
Other initiatives include the National Wetland Inventory and Assessment project, carried out during 2021-22 with the University of Jammu to prepare a wetland inventory and district-wise analysis of wetlands in Jammu and Kashmir.
A Desertification and Land Degradation project, undertaken with the University of Kashmir, Srinagar, mapped land degradation and assessed vulnerability in Kathua, Budgam and Udhampur districts while preparing a micro-watershed action plan to combat degradation.
The Long Term Ecological Research Stations (LTERS) project, running from 2021 to 2025, covers the North-West Himalaya, including Jammu and Kashmir, to study climate and ecosystem responses.
The Space Based Information Support for Decentralised Planning-Update (SISDP-U) project has generated thematic information on land use, settlements, infrastructure and drainage for all districts of Jammu and Kashmir using high-resolution satellite imagery.
ISRO has also completed annual satellite-based Land Use and Land Cover assessments at a scale of 1:250,000 for 2021-22 through 2024-25, along with a five-year assessment at a scale of 1:50,000 for 2020-21.
The government also provided details of funding for the projects.
A Land Cover and Land Use project at a 1:50,000 scale, being implemented during 2025-28 by the Department of Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing in Bemina, Srinagar, has been sanctioned Rs 7.58 million, of which Rs 3.03 million have been released and utilised.
The SILAAS project, running from 2023-28 through the University of Jammu, has received a sanctioned allocation of 5.016 million rupees, with 2.336 million rupees released and fully utilised.
The WDC-PMKSY 2.0 monitoring project, also implemented by the University of Jammu during 2023-29, has been sanctioned Rs 4.95 lakh, of which Rs 3.70 lakh have been released and utilised.
The SISDP-U project, implemented by the Directorate of Ecology, Environment and Remote Sensing, Jammu and Kashmir, received and utilised its entire sanctioned allocation of 22 million rupees during 2019-24.
The IWMP Watershed Monitoring project received and fully utilised Rs 2.76 million during 2022-23 through the University of Jammu.
The National Wetland Inventory and Assessment project was sanctioned Rs 1.14 million during 2018-22, with Rs 5 lakh released and utilised by the University of Jammu.
The Desertification and Land Degradation project, implemented by the University of Kashmir between 2017 and 2021, received and fully utilised Rs 5.91 lakh.
ISRO is also working on experimental landslide forecasting for all districts of Jammu and Kashmir under the SILAAS programme.
The agency periodically conducts national and regional workshops and training programmes for state and central disaster management organisations, including regional training on the National Database for Emergency Management (NDEM), in which participants from Jammu and Kashmir have taken part.
ISRO has established the Satish Dhawan Centre for Space Science at the Central University of Jammu, providing faculty members and research students with access to ISRO facilities to support learning and research in space technology.
The government said tele-education services are being provided through satellites under the PM e-Vidya programme, while telemedicine nodes have been installed across Jammu and Kashmir under the national telemedicine programme.
In 2024, ISRO added the High Throughput Satellite GSAT-N2 to strengthen broadband connectivity, including in Jammu and Kashmir.
The information was provided by Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, and Minister of State for the Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, in a written reply to the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.
