Andhra Pradesh: Drones likely to be deployed to assess monsoon crop damage in India

The Centre is contemplating use of drones to assess crop damage during natural calamities.

The state government has received a communication from the Centre stating that crop damage enumeration would be verified with pictures captured by drones shortly. Recently, central teams visited flood-hit districts in the state to assess the damage.

Sources said that Union home ministry, the nodal agency to extend assistance to the states during natural calamities and agriculture ministry, secured clearances from the Civil Aviation Ministry for usage of drones for enumeration of crop losses. Sources said that the Centre had decided to take up drone-based assessment in 10 states including AP in the first phase and extend it to other states based on feedback from the states.

The Centre has asked the state government to provide support in launching drone-based studies to estimate the losses. 

The Centre so far had been relying on reports by special teams that visit natural calamity-hit states and the reports submitted by the respective state governments in releasing the financial assistance. In most cases, financial assistance by the Centre would be negligible when demands of the states are taken into consideration. The Centre is also facing criticism from the states ruled by opposition parties for not granting liberal assistance. While the Centre feels that state governments would always exaggerate the losses, states would think that the Centre is not extending full support.

To put all such practices to an end, the Centre is planning to switch to the more scientific study of the damages including crop, roads, electricity network and irrigation facilities. It is likely to ease the job of the central teams which were unable to take up comprehensive study as their tours were mostly confined to a day or two.

“We welcome the Centre’s initiative as it prove all our reports are scientifically prepared and help farmers and infrastructure

departments get an early assistance,” said energy minister Balineni Srinivasa Reddy.