The issue of incomplete ground-truthing reports for Natural Conservation Zones (NCZs) in Haryana and Delhi came up during the meeting of the National Capital Region Planning Board (NCRPB) held in Delhi on Tuesday. Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal Khattar chaired the meeting and noted that while Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have completed the exercise, reports from Delhi and Haryana are still awaited.
Importance of Ground-Truthing for NCZs
The reports are significant because NCZs form the environmental backbone of NCR planning. These zones include forests, river corridors, wetlands, the Aravalli landscape, and other sensitive areas meant to be protected from unregulated urbanisation. Ground-truthing is the process of verifying whether what appears on a satellite image matches conditions on the ground.
“No new survey will be conducted,” said Khattar when asked whether fresh mapping would be undertaken to identify protected zones, particularly in the Aravalli region. Instead, he emphasised that physical verification of land conditions is essential before finalising conservation boundaries. “Sometimes satellite images show an area as green, but it is not always possible to determine whether it is a forest, ordinary vegetation, or even weeds covering a water body. That can only be verified on the ground,” he explained.
Debates Over Aravalli Protection
The exercise has acquired added importance because NCZs have been at the centre of debates over protection of the Aravallis and other natural assets in the NCR. Environmental groups and planning experts have repeatedly argued that without clearly identified and verified conservation boundaries, it becomes difficult to monitor land-use changes or prevent ecological degradation.
Khattar stated that the final delineation of conservation zones cannot be completed without ground verification. Central government officials expect the regional plan to be finalised within the next two months. Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa could not be contacted for comments.
