Mosti to activate 20 high-powered drones to monitor floods

A total of 20 high-powered drones will be deployed for monitoring purposes and for delivery of vital supplies to flood-hit areas, Science, Technology and Innovation (Mosti) Minister Dr Adham Baba said.

He said the ministry has received the cooperation of five private companies to supply the drones, which would be operated by the Drone Services Special Emergency Response Team.

"These drones will be able to locate flood victims who may be trapped as well as monitor roads and slope movements which may cause landslides during the floods," he told the media after launching DeScale Green Technology products yesterday.

He said the ministry was still waiting for approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia to fly the drones, to assist the National Security Council, National Disaster Relief Management Agency and Environment and Water Ministry, in efforts to assess the situation at the flood-hit areas more effectively.

The drones would facilitate view from an aerial vantage point to assist the related agencies in providing emergency services to flood victims who are stranded and may have no access to communication networks, Adham added.

He said the delivery drone is capable of carrying a load of up to 10kg of supplies, such as food and medicines, on each trip to dangerous and difficult-to-access sites.

On satellite image observations, Adham said until Monday, there was a 60 percent reduction of flooded areas in Taman Sri Muda and Section 24 in Shah Alam, as compared to last Saturday (Dec 18).

“The flood inundation areas had decreased from 5.1sq-km to about 2.1sq-km,” he said, adding that in Pahang, the flooded area has increased.

- Bernama 

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