SATELLITE IMAGING TO IDENTIFY NUMBER OF PONDS

LUCKNOW: The Lucknow Municipal Corporation is planning to make use of satellite imagery to identify the exact numbers of ponds and water bodies in the state capital.

“Through geographical information system (GIS ) survey, we have identified more than on lakh new properties and through sattelite imagery we can also survey water bodies in the city. The satellite images can be used for urban planning in future,” said additional municipal commissioner PK Srivastava.

This survey would also reveal correct information about encroachment on ponds, water bodies or roads of the city. With exact measurements for further documentation, it can be used for development and study.

Recently, the high court directed the state authorities to save ponds and dismantle road and illegal constructions coming up on water bodies. The court directed the district magistrate to demolish encroachment on a pond by a private developer who was developing a township there.

According to internal report of LMC, wetlands of city are fast disappearing. If the report of Lucknow Municipal Corporation is to be believed, the city has lost 494 out of 924 ponds to encroachers during the last 20 years. These figures have triggered alarm among urban planners because it has affected the water-recharging capacity of the city adversely. The 924 ponds which existed in the city in 286.883 hectares of land used to recharge the water table but with 494 ponds lost, an area of 130.287 hectares has been lost. That is why water recharging capacity has been hit.

Today, there are colonies on 99 ponds, 11 are still used for farming, 4 are under the control of railways, 236 ponds are controlled by encroachers who are very organised. Around 24 are lost to road construction and widening. However, a number of ponds were also lost to LDA and housing board schemes.

THIS SURVEY WOULD REVEAL CORRECT INFORMATION ABOUT ENCROACHMENT ON PONDS, WATER BODIES OR ROADS OF THE CITY