Gujarat Launches ‘Lake and Air Watch’ Initiative

The Gujarat Urban Development Mission will launch the ‘Lake and Air Watch’ initiative for real-time monitoring of lake health and air quality across cities in Gujarat.

Objective

• To create an integrated digital and real-time platform to track:
  • Urban lake health
  • Air quality levels
• The system will also generate alerts to enable prompt corrective measures by authorities.

Financial Outlay

• The initiative has an estimated budget of ₹10 crore and aims to strengthen environmental protection and sustainable urban development.

Monitoring of Urban Lakes

• Urban lakes are facing challenges such as:
  • Pollution
  • Siltation
  • Declining water quality
• Under the programme, satellite technology will be used to analyse:
  • Lake surface area
  • Waste accumulation
  • Algal growth
• Based on these observations, timely alerts will be issued to support conservation and restoration actions.

Air Quality Monitoring

• Air Quality Monitoring Stations will be installed in:
  • 17 Municipal Corporations
  • 152 Municipal areas
• These stations will provide real-time Air Quality Index (AQI) data.
• Automatic alerts will be generated if AQI levels rise beyond safe limits, enabling immediate intervention by relevant departments.

Source: DD