To combat persistent stubble burning and improve air quality, the Commission for Air Quality Management has mandated Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan to adopt advanced drone surveillance for effective monitoring and prevention of agricultural residue burning.
Key Points
- CAQM directs states to use drones for monitoring and preventing stubble burning incidents.
- Drones offer real-time, high-resolution surveillance to counter late-evening burning that evades satellite detection.
- Technology will aid in accurate detection, geo-tagging, documentation, and evidence collection for prompt enforcement.
- States are advised to prepare advance drone flight plans and focus on identified hotspot villages for effective coverage.
- Recommended drones feature GNSS-based positioning, geofencing, and high-resolution cameras for comprehensive data capture.
The CAQM has written to Chief Secretaries of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan directing the states to strengthen their preparedness for the forthcoming paddy harvesting season by adopting drone-based surveillance for effective monitoring and prevention of stubble burning incidents, officials said on Thursday.
The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) flagged that there have been reports of stubble burning during late evening hours to evade satellite-based detection.
Leveraging Drone Technology For Surveillance
Noting that Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) drones offer a reliable and effective solution for monitoring stubble burning incidents by providing rapid deployment, high-resolution, real-time imaging and flexible flight patterns that complement satellite imagery and ground inspections, the CAQM said that drones can accurately detect active fire locations, identify smoke plumes, map affected agricultural fields and generate time-stamped evidence for prompt enforcement action.
Highlighting that drones are already being extensively utilised by various government agencies for applications such as infrastructure monitoring, digital aerial surveys and highway projects, the commission has advised the states to leverage this technology for preventing and controlling stubble burning in letter and spirit.
Implementing Drone Surveys Effectively
"Drone surveys shall be conducted out in a lawful, safe and systematic manner to ensure accurate detection, geo-tagging, documentation and reporting of stubble burning incidents for timely action. The monitoring area should cover paddy cultivation areas, with special emphasis on identified hotspot villages and fire-prone locations.
"States have also been advised to prepare advance drone flight plans, determine the required number of drone flights and map burning incidents with cadastral maps to enable precise identification of affected fields," the CAQM said in a statement.
Advanced Drone Features For Monitoring
To ensure effective surveillance, the Commission has recommended deployment of drones equipped with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS)-based positioning (in metre resolution), geofencing, return-home functionality, flight data logging and high-resolution RGB camera capable of capturing geo-tagged images and videos Page 1 of 2 with live-streaming capability, geotagged imagery or videos of burning sites, smoke plumes, fresh/old burnt areas and surrounding field boundaries.
"The Commission has also advised establishment of well-distributed Ground Control Points (GCPs) in hotspot villages and conducting surveys under clear weather conditions using standardised geospatial reference systems to ensure consistency, traceability and interoperability of the survey outputs," it said.
The states have been asked to submit action taken report till August 14.
