NHAI Launches First National Highways Green Cover Index

National Highways Green Cover Index (NH‑GCI) – measures the percentage of land within each 1 km highway segment covered by green canopy.
Technology Used: 5‑m resolution multispectral data from ISRO’s Resourcesat‑2/2A (LISS‑IV), cross‑verified with finer Cartosat‑2S imagery.
Coverage: Approximately 30,000 km of National Highways across 24 states under the Operation & Maintenance (O&M) phase.
Data Platform: Results are hosted on ISRO’s Bhuvan open‑source GIS portal with interactive maps and standardized reports.
Policy Linkage: Implements the Green Highways Policy, 2015, which mandates tree‑planting and survival assurance on highway right‑of‑way.
Future Enhancements: Machine‑learning‑based auto‑classification, change‑detection alerts for vegetation loss, and integration with carbon sequestration models.

The Green Highways Policy, 2015, was introduced to curb the environmental impact of expanding road networks and to promote biodiversity corridors.
NHAI, in partnership with ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), leverages space‑based remote sensing to move from anecdotal tree‑planting to quantitative, verifiable monitoring.
This initiative aligns with India’s broader commitments under the Paris Agreement and the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for carbon sequestration.

Environmental Governance: Provides an objective metric for assessing compliance with the Green Highways Policy, enabling accountability.
Infrastructure Planning: Data‑driven insights help integrate ecological considerations into highway design, maintenance, and expansion.
E‑Governance: Open‑source GIS portal ensures transparency and public accessibility, fostering citizen participation.
Inter‑Ministry Collaboration: Demonstrates effective synergy between the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways, Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and ISRO.
Economic Impact: Healthy green corridors can reduce soil erosion, improve air quality, and potentially lower road‑maintenance costs.

Article 48A of the Constitution – Directive Principle to protect and improve the environment.
Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 – empowers the government to set standards for environmental protection, under which the Green Highways Policy operates.
National Green Tribunal Act, 2010 – provides a forum for addressing violations related to green cover on public infrastructure.