Balasore: Officials of the Similipal National Park authority successfully tested drone operations Tuesday inside the forest for the first time. Sources said that drones will be used by the authorities for various purposes. The drones will help forest guards tackle the various problems they face. Drones will also be used to drop ration and medicines in the interior parts of the Similipal National Park inaccessible by road.
Officials also said that the main objective of the drones would be to detect forest fires as early as possible and then those can be used to douse the flames. Guards will also be able to locate the wildfires accurately with the help of the drones and tackle the issue.
Also drones would also be used to keep a watch on animal movement and poachers.
A training session was held for the forest officials to familiarize themselves on how to use drones during emergency situations.
Sources said, the training session was a huge success. The drones transported water bottles and medicines with pin-point accuracy to the areas marked.
Deputy Director of Similipal National Park, Samrat Goud expressed satisfaction regarding the training session. “The trial run of the drones was conducted successfully and our officials were taught how to operate the machines,” Goud informed. “We are happy that the drones performed as expected. The forest staff is ready to handle them in case of emergencies,” Goud added.
Both in the US and in Australia, drones have been used extensively to tackle forest and bush fires. Bigger drones have been used to transport large quantities of water to douse the flames.