As Monsoon rolls in, UP Govt begins aerial monitoring of drains through drones

New Delhi: In a bid to prevent clogging of drains as monsoon rolls in, the Uttar Pradesh government is using drones to easily identify the sites where cleanliness or maintenance of drains is required.

Undertaking the statewide campaign on a mission mode, Amrit Abhijat, Principal Secretary, Urban Development Department, has issued directives to the Municipal Corporations of Lucknow, Aligarh, Agra, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Prayagraj, Ghaziabad, Kanpur Nagar and Meerut to ensure cleaning of all major drains, medium drains and small drains, and utilise drone cameras for monitoring their condition on priority basis.

The step of the government is aimed at preventing water-logging, flooding of drains, canals as well as at easing vehicular congestion that occurs frequently during the monsoon.

After the aerial surveys of the drains, the latitudinal and longitudinal position of the concerned drains, their length, width and depth, along with their photographs and videos in a prescribed format, will be sent to the Director, Urban Local Bodies Directorate, Lucknow.

The videos and photos of canals/drains before work, during work and after completion of work (silt clearance) by Drones will be provided. The information will then be compiled and will be made available to the government within a week.