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The technology will take around 45-50 minutes to send medicines from Kohima to Mon district
Our Correspondent
Kohima, July 17 (EMN): Nagaland GIS and Remote Sensing Centre together with the Nagaland State Disaster Management Authority (NSDMA) have launched drone service to deliver Covid care packages, including personal protective equipment (PPE) suits and other essential items to Covid hospital (NHAK) and other quarantine centres.
GIS engineer Kethorietuo Kesiezie, in a conversation with Eastern Mirror, said that 10 kg load of Covid care package has been delivered to quarantine centres at Meriema and Navodaya and also to Covid hospital (NHAK). He added that K Badze would also be covered in two days’ time.
He shared that they came up with the idea, as in the present situation, the first and foremost rule is to maintain distance as much as possible. He added that the drones can travel 7-8 km and deliver the items to a designated area. He explained that once the equipment is dropped, the parachute deployed would land at the drop site. He, therefore, said that there is no human contact.
He stated that they are using the technology as it can supply the requirements of the quarantine centres at any time of the day. He added that intensive research was conducted to make the system operational.
“Hopefully we will be continuing with this and we have a target to deliver medicine such as vaccines and life saving drugs to remote villages in and around Nagaland till Mon district using this drone,” he informed. He also cited an example of an international company called Zitline in Africa, which has been doing such work for the past 2-3 years, thereby saving many lives. He hoped that the initiative would become a reality in Nagaland within one year.
Informing that the drone has a capability of carrying 15 kg, he stated that to be on the safer side, they are delivering only 10 kg load. He also shared that they have registered the drone with the Director General of Civil Aviation and abiding all the rules and regulations. He added that they do not fly above 50 feet altitude though the maximum flying height given was 120 feet.
“We follow all the safety precautions and we never fly above human habitations; rather we take the longer route even if we have to fly over jungles,” he informed.
Once the drone reaches its intended destination, it drops the load and returns home, he informed adding that to reach a destination of 4.5 km, it takes only three minutes. He opined that if it becomes a reality to send medicines from Kohima to Mon district, it would take only around 45-50 minutes.
He further stated that they are planning to provide the equipment to all the districts if the government is convinced by the technology. He also informed that they introduced drone in the department seven years ago and started intensive research and development in drone technology.
Claiming that they are the pioneers of this technology in the entire Northeast region, he said they have given training to all the north-eastern states in GIS centres and states like Andhra Pradesh and Lucknow. He added that they are also working with Northeast Space Application centre and giving training to seven of its scientists.
With the recognition they have received from India, he said they have started doing more intensive work in the drone technology.