HYDERABAD: Satellite-based data provided by the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) has become a “powerful tool” for the HYDRAA in identifying vanished lakes and accurately determining the FTL boundaries of existing water bodies, HYDRAA Commissioner AV Ranganath said.

He noted that nearly 61%of lakes in the region had already disappeared as per the NRSC assessment. If immediate action is not taken, he warned, the remaining lakes could vanish within the next 15 years.

He added that the agency is increasingly using NRSC services and satellite datasets for accurate mapping. The Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data provided by NRSC in 2006 is being used to determine lake FTLs and buffer zones.