[ UPDATE 24/12/2021 18:23 ] Over 20 drones have been deployed in flood-hit areas of Selangor to send food, medicine, and powerbanks.
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In light of the horrible floods going on in several regions throughout the country, the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) will be working together with several companies to form a Drone Services Special Emergency Response Team (PTK2Dron). This special task force, run by both MOSTI and Technology Park Malaysia, will help authorities locate flood victims as soon as possible, as well as monitor the flood levels and any potential slope movements that may cause landslides.
According to the Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Dr Adham Baba, there will be 20 high-power drones ready for use. They’ll help responders with surveying areas affected by the floods, and are also able to hold up 10 kilograms worth of payloads for delivering essential goods to victims. It is understood that TPM will be working together with five private drone companies to get these drones, which are VStream, Alphaswift Industries, Aerodyne Group, Meraque Services and Geo Precision Tech.
“These drone services will provide an aerial view to help the relevant agencies better gauge the situation in the flood-affected areas. This will let them deliver emergency services to those stranded and without access to communication services. These high-powered drones will also help deliver food and medication, especially in tough to reach areas,” – Dr Adham Baba
While the exact model of drone being used was not mentioned, we can still make some educated guesses on what drones they are using. Seeing as they claim their drones are able to carry payloads of up to 10kg, one such drone that fits the bill would be the DJI Agras MG-1. The Agras MG-1 is actually designed mainly for agricultural use, helping farmers spray out pesticides and fertilisers, but its ease of use and portability means it can also be used for other means. Incidentally, the Aerodyne Group had previously been acknowledged by DJI for helping local farmers deal with pests using Agras drones.
These drones aren’t cheap of course, with one listing for the DJI Agras MG-1 on Shopee going for RM43,000. But with flood inundation areas still around 2.1 square kilometers, they can help authorities and frontliners get to victims as fast as possible. So far they have surveyed up to 500 acres of flood-affected areas in Selangor, while Meraque had also previously did a proof-of-concept with drones to deliver emergency aid from mainland Perak to Pangkor Island. Hopefully it’ll help with recovery efforts as the flood situation continues.
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