Deforestation can be tracked on real time through portal with help of AI: CM Sarma
The Chief Minister further added that immediate action will be taken after information is received;
Guwahati, June 6: Information about the loss of forest cover or deforestation in Assam can now be received in real time with the help of a new portal, and immediate action would be taken.
The statement was made by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Thursday where he added that information about deforestation can be received in real time through the help of artificial intelligence (AI).
“Usually, we get information after the entire forest is depleted but this will help us to get information in real time,” the Chief Minister said.
The Chief Minister also urged everyone to plant a tree in honour of their mothers following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call. “The Prime Minister has inspired all to plant a tree in the name of their mothers and we in Assam should continue to plant trees throughout the year,” he said.
“I have launched a portal today where people, after planting trees, can upload information about it and also the growth of the plant from time to time,” the Chief Minister told the press after attending a programme on World Environment Day.
He also handed over arms and ammunition to the third Forest Protection Battalion, formed after he assumed office as the Chief Minister, for safeguarding forests and wildlife. Sarma also flagged off 130 vehicles for various forest ranges and divisions.
Regarding the ban on plastic bottles to prevent clogging of drains leading to waterlogging in urban areas, Sarma said that many local youth have set up industries to produce mineral water bottles with bank loans and they had appealed not to ban it.
“When we had tried to ban one-litre bottles, they came to us with this appeal and we had to consider this but 500 ml bottles are banned in the State,” he said.
The State government will soon enter into an agreement with Oil India Limited (OIL) for producing biofuel from plastic waste. OIL will set up biofuel producing plants in Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, Silchar, Tezpur and Guwahati. “The government will hand over the waste plastics to OIL and we hope the problem will come down gradually,” Sarma added.
– PTI