Earth Observation and Law Enforcement: Satellite Monitoring Against Crop Burning in Northwestern India

Air pollution in northwestern India increases every year due to farmers burning crop residue in agricultural States, such as Punjab and Haryana. Effective enforcement to curb the phenomenon has often been hindered by the scale of the country’s territory, the remoteness of affected areas, and the high costs associated with deploying law enforcement officials to monitor these crimes. To address these challenges, India has tried to promote satellite technologies as a tool for environmental monitoring and enforcement. The advantages would be numerous. Satellites allow for large-scale observation with greater efficiency and accuracy, reducing the need for on-the-ground patrolling and related costs. This solution also enhances the ability to record data and compare them across years and geographical areas in a systematic way, facilitating the design of solutions that consider a larger oversight. However, when looking from space, one does not always get the whole picture as they would think. India has been a pioneer in satellite technology, becoming one of the earliest nations to enter the sector. India’s remote sensing sector is highly advanced and the country has the capabilities to systematically deploy these tools. Indeed, in addition to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which is among the largest space agencies in the world, the country hosts several research organisations focused on high-resolution satellite imagery, remote sensing and geographic information systems. However, India has lagged in integrating these technologies into legislation and legal proceedings related to environmental crimes. Challenges lie in an outdated legislative framework, which has historically underaddressed environmental issues and has not integrated new technology. Additionally, the country’s multilevel governance complicates the designing of unified legislative, legal and enforcement frameworks to address environmental crimes.