Delhi pollution body plans to use drones to strengthen monitoring

In Delhi, the drones can only be used with permissions. Even with permissions, certain restrictions such as flying only during day time and within a height of 50 feet, needs to be followed.

The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) might soon come up with camera-fitted drones to monitor instances of garbage burning and industrial emissions in the city.

Delhi’s pollution control body says that the drones will be effective in checking cases of garbage burning, stack pollution (industrial emissions) and dumping of construction debris. (Sakilb Ali / HT File)

In a meeting of the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority [EPCA] with the pollution control agencies in Delhi and neighbouring states, DPCC member secretary Arun Mishra said that the pollution watchdog has been trying to procure drones to strengthen its monitoring capabilities.

Mishra said that the focus will be on the 13 air pollution ‘hot spots’ in Delhi. These areas were recognised by the DPCC as the major pollution contributors in the city. In Delhi, Okhla, Narela, Mundka, Dwarka, Punjabi Bagh, Bawana, Wazirpur, Rohini, Vivek Vihar, Anand Vihar, RK Puram, Ashok Vihar and Jahangirpuri feature in the list of hotspots.

Six more of such centres have been identified in the NCR towns of Faridabad-1 and 2, Sahibabad, Udyog Vihar, Bhiwadi and Bahadurgarh. The DPCC also intends to get night vision cameras for round-the-clock monitoring.

“We had roped in three agencies in the past to monitor dumping of debris on the Yamuna floodplains, Ghazipur landfill fires and to check industrial pollution in Mundka, but permissions could not be sought from the union home ministry. We will write to them again,” Mishra said.

He said that these drones were found to have captured good-quality images and gave a holistic picture of the spots being inspected.

In Delhi, the drones can only be used with permissions. Even with permissions, certain restrictions such as flying only during day time and within a height of 50 feet, needs to be followed.

The DPCC in the meeting with EPCA highlighted that the drones will be effective in checking cases of garbage burning, stack pollution (industrial emissions) and dumping of construction debris. These machines will also help pinpoint cases and penalise violators accordingly.

EPCA chairperson Bhure Lal also said that they have also suggested aerial monitoring in pollution hotspots.

“We have told the DPCC that drones are way better than manual inspections. They should take this up with the agencies concerned as soon as they can,” Lal said.