HYDRAA Uses NRSC Satellite Data To Track Lost Lakes and Reclaim 1,350 Acres of Public Land

Hyderabad: Satellite data provided by National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) has become a “powerful tool” in identifying lost lakes and determining their full tank level (FTL) limits, HYDRAA commissioner A.V. Ranganath said on Friday. He said the data is also being used to verify government land, parks, roads and other public spaces.

Speaking at a user interaction meet seminar, ‘Earth observation methods — trends and challenges in achieving Viksit Bharat @ 2047’, held at the NRSC centre, Ranganath said that the information was particularly useful during Prajavani programmes held by the agency, where officials could show complainants how the topography had changed over time using satellite images.

He said that according to NRSC estimates, nearly 61 per cent of lakes within the Outer Ring Road (ORR) had disappeared, and the rest could also vanish within 15 years if not protected. HYDRAA has intensified efforts to identify and safeguard these water bodies, he added.

The commissioner said the agency has already protected about 1,350 acres of government and public-use land within the ORR region, valued at more than Rs 70,000 crore.

During the seminar, a citizen-centric portal named “HYDRAA-Raksha” was launched. The portal will help people check whether plots fall within lake FTL limits, buffer zones or government land before purchasing property. Officials said that the portal will be used internally by HYDRAA during the initial phase, before being opened to the public.