Satellite monitoring for post-clearance accountability: lessons from Rushikonda hill

Abstract Post-approval monitoring of urban development projects remains one of the weakest links in environmental governance, particularly in fast-urbanizing contexts where institutional oversight is limited. This study examines the redevelopment of Rushikonda Hill, an ecologically sensitive coastal site in Andhra Pradesh, India, to quantify land alteration and evaluate governance implications. High-resolution Planet Scope imagery and historical Google Earth Pro basemaps from 2021 to 2023 were analysed through visual interpretation and manual digitization. The approved project footprint was 9.88 acres, yet satellite analysis indicated that by late 2023 approximately 19.1 acres had been visibly altered; nearly double the sanctioned extent. Alteration progressed in distinct phases: initial vegetation clearance, slope terracing and excavation, large-scale levelling, and visible building foundation work. Artificial green mats were later placed on exposed slopes, creating an appearance of regrowth without evidence of ecological restoration. These findings point to structural gaps in India’s post-clearance compliance system: limited independent audits, reliance on self-reporting, and conflicts of interest in state-led projects. Based on the Rushikonda case and comparable examples, three policy pathways are proposed: integrating satellite audits into compliance, legally recognizing remote sensing as admissible evidence, and expanding public-access monitoring platforms. The approach demonstrated here offers a transferable framework for using satellite imagery to detect regulatory non-compliance, strengthening environmental accountability in similar governance settings worldwide.