The Odisha Space Application Centre (ORSAC) has decided to undertake a remote sensing study of the damage to the paddy crop caused by cyclonic storm and flood which led to inundation of thousands of hectares of farm land across districts in the State earlier this month.
The remote sensing agency has already started procuring data from ISRO’s National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) basing on the movement of the satellite over the State. This is for the first time that a crop damage survey is being carried out in the country using remote sensing application.
The survey, part of ORSAC’s R&D projects, is expected to provide a clear picture of the loss to standing crops in waterlogged areas.
The satellite will capture the images in 5.8m x 5.8m resolution which will be correlated with ground data for interpretation.
“As part of our ongoing projects, ORSAC has been documenting the inundation caused by the floods, but it does not take into account crop loss assessment. This is a first for us too,” Chief Executive, ORSAC, Amiya Kumar Mohapatra told this paper on Thursday.
In fact, ORSAC’s assessment of inundation caused by Phailin-induced rains and flooding puts the cumulative figure at 1.20 lakh hectare, but it does not include the second phase flood in Ganjam and northern districts.
Mohapatra said the State remote sensing centre will seek technical support from the NRSC for the survey, which is expected to be wrapped up in two months.
The ORSAC is also proposing an infrastructure damage study in the Phailin-hit districts in collaboration with the national agency.