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NDTV
15 hours ago
- Science
- NDTV
Old US Spy Satellite Images To Guide New Blueprint For Ganga Revival
The Uttar Pradesh government announced on Monday that, in a historic initiative to chart a course for the Ganga River's future through its past, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) had launched a major project led by IIT Kanpur. Researchers at the institute have combined rare images captured in 1965 by the American spy satellite series 'Corona' with advanced satellite imagery from 2018-19 to record major changes in the river's morphology, flow, and land use over the last five decades. "This study is being hailed as a milestone in developing a data-driven and concrete blueprint for Ganga's conservation and restoration. The project would form part of the Ganga Knowledge Centre, which is a repository of research, portals, and datasets related to Ganga and would facilitate scientific and research-based decision-making for the river's rejuvenation," the government said in a statement. "The Corona images capture the Ganga in an almost untouched form, while the 2019 images reveal the changing reality, where barrages, embankments, and urban sprawl have restricted the river's meandering pace. This comparative study now offers fresh hope. Scientists now have concrete maps that indicate areas where restoration could help the Ganga regain its old rhythm and where improved land use could enhance its health," it added. According to the government, this major NMCG project is not only creating a scientific record of changes in the river's geomorphology but is also highlighting, through a comparative study of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC), how encroachment, rapid urban expansion, and agricultural growth are impacting the river's natural balance. Based on these findings, an advanced Web-GIS library is being developed, which will be directly used in future policies, river management strategies, and restoration plans. "As a step forward, the NMCG would be hosting the Corona and LULC data on an interactive user interface and the Google Earth Engine application, allowing both analysis and planning to be done on the same platform," the government mentioned. The project will also prepare special digital displays for nine major windows -- Haridwar, Bijnor, Narora, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Bhagalpur, and Farakka -- which will play a vital role in decision-making from local to national levels. The government noted that in order to create a scientific health map of the Ganga, several decisive steps are being undertaken in the new project. It explained that first, the entire Ganga basin's boundaries will be delineated and accurately mapped using the Corona imagery. Comparing images from 1965-75 to the present-day landscape will provide a clear visualisation of land use and geomorphic changes. All data will be organised into a Web-GIS module with an advanced query system, enabling researchers and planners to access the specific data they need instantly. A system for public dissemination of data would facilitate its use in future research on the Ganga across the diverse stakeholders. IIT Kanpur scientists believe this achievement marks the beginning of a new era of "data-driven" planning in Ganga conservation, according to the statement. Technical challenges remain, but the research team is continually refining its methodology with each step toward greater accuracy and faster processing, bringing the picture of the Ganga's future into sharper focus. "There could be no better guide for the Ganga's rejuvenation than precise images of its past'?and this is exactly the path this project is showing," the government said. "By blending the solid foundation of science with the deep roots of tradition, this effort by the National Mission for Clean Ganga is emerging as a historic step toward returning the Ganga to its clean, free, and life-giving form for generations to come," it added.
Indian Express
17 hours ago
- Science
- Indian Express
IIT-Kanpur, Namami Gange tap 5 decades of satellite data to map Ganga's transformation
The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has launched a project led by IIT Kanpur, with researchers at the institute combining rare images captured in 1965 by the American spy satellite series 'Corona' with advanced satellite imagery from 2018-19 to record major changes in the river's morphology, flow and land use over the past five decades. This study has developed a data-driven and concrete blueprint for the Ganga's conservation and restoration, a statement issued on Monday said. The project would form part of Ganga Knowledge Centre, which is a repository of research, portals and datasets related to Ganga and would facilitate scientific and research-based decision making for river rejuvenation, it said. The Corona images capture the Ganga in an almost untouched form, while the 2019 images reveal the changing reality — where barrages, embankments, and urban sprawl have restricted the river's meandering pace. Scientists now have concrete maps that indicate areas where restoration could help the Ganga regain its old rhythm and where improved land use could enhance its health. This NMCG project is not only creating a scientific record of changes in the river's geomorphology but is also highlighting, through a comparative study of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC), how encroachment, rapid urban expansion, and agricultural growth are impacting the river's natural balance. Based on these findings, an advanced Web-GIS library is being developed, which will be directly used in future policies, river management strategies and restoration plans. As a step forward, NMCG would be hosting the Corona and LULC data on an interactive user interface and the Google Earth Engine application, allowing both analysis and planning to be done on the same platform. The project will also prepare special digital displays for nine major windows — Haridwar, Bijnor, Narora, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Bhagalpur, and Farakka — which will play a vital role in decision-making from local to national levels. To create a scientific health map of the Ganga, several decisive steps are being undertaken in the new project. First, the entire Ganga basin's boundaries will be delineated and accurately mapped using the Corona imagery. Comparing images from 1965-75 with the present-day landscape will provide a clear visualization of land use and geomorphic changes. All data will be organised into a Web-GIS module with an advanced query system, enabling researchers and planners to instantly access the specific data they need. A system for public dissemination of data would facilitate its use in future research on Ganga across the diverse stakeholders. According to IIT Kanpur scientists, this development marks the beginning of a new era of 'data-driven' planning in Ganga conservation. Technical challenges remain, but the research team is continually refining its methodology — with each step toward greater accuracy and faster processing bringing the picture of the Ganga's future into sharper focus.
Hindustan Times
18 hours ago
- Science
- Hindustan Times
Ganga revival: 60-yr-old spy satellite images to help draw up conservation map
The National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) has launched a new project with IIT Kanpur to improve the health of the river. Declassified Corona imagery along the main stem of the Ganga (Sourced) This study is being looked at as a step in developing a data-driven and concrete blueprint for Ganga conservation and restoration. Researchers at the IIT-K have combined rare images captured in 1965 by the American spy satellite series 'Corona' with advanced satellite imagery from 2018–19 to record major changes in the river's morphology, flow and land use over the last five decades, according to a press release. The project will form part of Ganga Knowledge Centre which is a repository of research, portals and datasets related to Ganga and would facilitate scientific and research-based decision making for river rejuvenation. The Corona images capture the Ganga in an almost untouched form, while the 2019 images reveal the changing reality—where barrages, embankments, and urban sprawl have restricted the river's meandering flow. This comparative study now offers fresh hope. Scientists now have concrete maps that indicate areas where restoration could help the Ganga regain its old rhythm and where improved land use could enhance its health, a spokesperson said. As a step forward, NMCG would be hosting the Corona and LULC data on an interactive user interface and the Google Earth Engine application, allowing both analysis and planning to be done on the same platform. The project will also prepare special digital displays for nine major windows—Haridwar, Bijnor, Narora, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Bhagalpur, and Farakka—which will play a vital role in decision-making from local to national levels. Scientific health map of the Ganga To create a scientific health map of the Ganga, several decisive steps are being undertaken. First, the entire Ganga basin's boundaries will be delineated and accurately mapped using the Corona imagery. Comparing images from 1965–75 with the present-day landscape will provide a clear visualisation of land use and geomorphic changes. All data will be organised into a Web-GIS module with an advanced query system, enabling researchers and planners to instantly access the specific data they need. A system for public dissemination of data would facilitate its use in future research on Ganga across the diverse stakeholders. According to IIT Kanpur scientists, this achievement marks the beginning of a new era of 'data-driven' planning in Ganga conservation. Technical challenges remain, but the research team is continually refining its methodology—with each step toward greater accuracy and faster processing bringing the picture of the Ganga's future into sharper focus. The spokesperson said, 'There could be no better guide for the Ganga's rejuvenation than precise images of its past—and this is exactly the path this project is showing. By blending the solid foundation of science with the deep roots of tradition, this effort by the National Mission for Clean Ganga is emerging as a historic step toward returning the Ganga to its clean, free, and life-giving form for generations to come.'
News18
20 hours ago
- Science
- News18
Old US spy satellite images to guide new blueprint for Ganga revival
Lucknow/Kanpur, Aug 18 (PTI) The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday said that in a historic initiative to chart a course to the Ganga river's future through its past, the National Mission for Clean Ganga (NMCG) had launched a major project led by IIT Kanpur. Researchers at the institute have combined rare images captured in 1965 by the American spy satellite series 'Corona' with advanced satellite imagery from 2018-19 to record major changes in the river's morphology, flow, and land use over the last five decades. 'This study is being hailed as a milestone in developing a data-driven and concrete blueprint for Ganga's conservation and restoration. The project would form part of the Ganga Knowledge Centre, which is a repository of research, portals, and datasets related to Ganga and would facilitate scientific and research-based decision-making for the river's rejuvenation," the government said in a statement. 'The Corona images capture the Ganga in an almost untouched form, while the 2019 images reveal the changing reality, where barrages, embankments, and urban sprawl have restricted the river's meandering pace. This comparative study now offers fresh hope. Scientists now have concrete maps that indicate areas where restoration could help the Ganga regain its old rhythm and where improved land use could enhance its health," it added. According to the government, this major NMCG project is not only creating a scientific record of changes in the river's geomorphology but is also highlighting, through a comparative study of Land Use and Land Cover (LULC), how encroachment, rapid urban expansion, and agricultural growth are impacting the river's natural balance. Based on these findings, an advanced Web-GIS library is being developed, which will be directly used in future policies, river management strategies, and restoration plans. 'As a step forward, the NMCG would be hosting the Corona and LULC data on an interactive user interface and the Google Earth Engine application, allowing both analysis and planning to be done on the same platform," the government mentioned. The project will also prepare special digital displays for nine major windows — Haridwar, Bijnor, Narora, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna, Bhagalpur, and Farakka — which will play a vital role in decision-making from local to national levels. The government noted that in order to create a scientific health map of the Ganga, several decisive steps are being undertaken in the new project. It explained that first, the entire Ganga basin's boundaries will be delineated and accurately mapped using the Corona imagery. Comparing images from 1965-75 to the present-day landscape will provide a clear visualization of land use and geomorphic changes. All data will be organized into a Web-GIS module with an advanced query system, enabling researchers and planners to instantly access the specific data they need. A system for public dissemination of data would facilitate its use in future research on the Ganga across the diverse stakeholders. IIT Kanpur scientists believe this achievement marks the beginning of a new era of 'data-driven" planning in Ganga conservation, according to the statement. Technical challenges remain, but the research team is continually refining its methodology with each step toward greater accuracy and faster processing, bringing the picture of the Ganga's future into sharper focus. 'There could be no better guide for the Ganga's rejuvenation than precise images of its past'?and this is exactly the path this project is showing," the government said. 'By blending the solid foundation of science with the deep roots of tradition, this effort by the National Mission for Clean Ganga is emerging as a historic step toward returning the Ganga to its clean, free, and life-giving form for generations to come," it added. PTI KIS MPL MPL (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: August 18, 2025, 20:15 IST News agency-feeds Old US spy satellite images to guide new blueprint for Ganga revival Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
