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The government wants to keep the Sunderbans under surveillance using drones or Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in the wake of the colossal damage suffered by the mangrove forest last month due to oil spills from a capsized tanker.
The forest department has submitted a proposal to the government to keep the Sunderbans under surveillance using drones, chief conservator of forests Yunus Ali told New Age Sunday.
The forest department prepared the plan on instructions from the government, said officials.
Yunus Ali did not share the details like the cost of the proposed surveillance or which agency would be assigned to implement it.
The forest and environment ministry officials said the project was likely to be implemented by the prime minister office under its the access to information programme.
The PMO has recommended a dozen of plans including the use of drones to safeguard the Sunderbans, the home of endangered Royal Bengal Tigers.
Experts doubted the efficacy of the surveillance using drones in protecting the Sunderbans as anything could happen after the government withdraw ban on the movement of vessels through the mangrove forest 27 days after imposing it.
The ban imposed on vessel movement through the Sunderbans following tanker capsize in the Shela River on December spilling 3.5 lakh litres of furnace oil lasted only 27 days.
Anu Muhammad, member secretary of the National Committee to Protect Oil Gas Mineral Resources and Power Port, demanded continuation of the ban on movement of vessels on rivers and canals flowing through the endangered Sunderbans.
On December 31, Emilia Wahlstrom, the leader of a 25-member Joint Government-UN Sunderbans Oil Spill Mission said vessel traffic through the valued and bio-diverse Sunderbans should be avoided.
Officials said they favoured the deployment of drones and the use of Global Positioning System to monitor movement of boat, mechanized boats, pirates and also natural calamities.
They said that neighbouring India was set to start its special surveillance and monitoring of the Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans deploying drones along the coast.
The Indian Navy plans to station the drones at Behala Airport in south Kolkata.
Aerial surveillance of Sundearbans on the cards | New Age
The forest department has submitted a proposal to the government to keep the Sunderbans under surveillance using drones, chief conservator of forests Yunus Ali told New Age Sunday.
The forest department prepared the plan on instructions from the government, said officials.
Yunus Ali did not share the details like the cost of the proposed surveillance or which agency would be assigned to implement it.
The forest and environment ministry officials said the project was likely to be implemented by the prime minister office under its the access to information programme.
The PMO has recommended a dozen of plans including the use of drones to safeguard the Sunderbans, the home of endangered Royal Bengal Tigers.
Experts doubted the efficacy of the surveillance using drones in protecting the Sunderbans as anything could happen after the government withdraw ban on the movement of vessels through the mangrove forest 27 days after imposing it.
The ban imposed on vessel movement through the Sunderbans following tanker capsize in the Shela River on December spilling 3.5 lakh litres of furnace oil lasted only 27 days.
Anu Muhammad, member secretary of the National Committee to Protect Oil Gas Mineral Resources and Power Port, demanded continuation of the ban on movement of vessels on rivers and canals flowing through the endangered Sunderbans.
On December 31, Emilia Wahlstrom, the leader of a 25-member Joint Government-UN Sunderbans Oil Spill Mission said vessel traffic through the valued and bio-diverse Sunderbans should be avoided.
Officials said they favoured the deployment of drones and the use of Global Positioning System to monitor movement of boat, mechanized boats, pirates and also natural calamities.
They said that neighbouring India was set to start its special surveillance and monitoring of the Bangladesh part of the Sundarbans deploying drones along the coast.
The Indian Navy plans to station the drones at Behala Airport in south Kolkata.
Aerial surveillance of Sundearbans on the cards | New Age
