Dharavi, one of the largest slums in the world, had become a hotspot of Covid-19 cases in Mumbai, India. Moreover, drones help in combating COVID-19 in the country.
With an estimated one million residents that are fully compacted in the area, had been attributed to the rising number of COVID 19.
Accordingly, Mumbai’s police force tapped Sagar Defence Engineering, a Mumbai maker of drones or unmanned aerial vehicles, to help in their operations in making sure people follow restrictive health protocols and other lockdown rules.
Drones were used for photography, remote sensing, and aerial spraying. Yet, with the ongoing COVID-19, drones help in combating COVID-19 through assisting in distributing medical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPEs) for medical workers. Plus, it was used for disinfecting public streets and was customized with a thermal scanner to identify potential carriers of the said virus.
Before obtaining success, drone experts experienced difficulty in customizing the features that will help in mitigating the spread of the virus. But fortunately, Sagar’s cofounder, Nikunj Parashar, stated that he was able to get resources locally.
“The pandemic has shown what drones are capable of,” says Smit Shah, director of partnerships at the Drone Federation of India, an industry body with more than 1,000 members, as cited in the report of Forbes.
Moreover, the use of drones has become in demand for civic authorities, state governments, and the police.
“But the rising popularity of drones is fast-forwarding the regulatory process. In early June, the aviation ministry released a draft of rules covering permits, licensing and maintenance, inviting public comments,” report added.