Summary:
DEHRADUN: A fleet of 10 drones will now aid the state disaster management department in its rescue operations. To strengthen its disaster response capabilities, the state disaster management department will use drones for mapping and surveying disaster-hit areas.While nine drones have been deployed in vulnerable districts, one has been kept in reserve at the headquarters of the Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) in Dehradun.Savin Bansal, additional secretary, disaster management department, told TOI, “Drones can be very useful during a disaster as they can provide high-resolution, real-time images of inaccessible disaster-hit locations.”The images taken by drones can also be used for prevention and mitigation measures by producing accurate hazard maps of vulnerable areas, said officials.Bansal said that more drones would be purchased if required. In Uttarakhand, drones can be used to study disaster-struck areas and prioritise where assistance is required.”At present, drones are used in the state to keep a check on illegal mining as well as to monitor forest fires. The cost of each drone manufactured by a China-based company is Rs 2 lakh.Piyoosh Rautela, executive director, disaster mitigation and management centre (DMMC), said, “Drones are being used extensively across the world during humanitarian relief activities..