Pakistan Rolls Out Its First National Drone Monitoring Program

Pakistan’s first-ever drone-based surveillance system to monitor industrial pollution has been launched and it is already catching offenders in real time.

The technology that the Punjab government’s Environment Department is using is nothing short of genius. High-end thermo drones are used to monitor industrial zones for illegal discharges, emissions, and other breaches of the law. The drones can find heat and airborne pollutants ready to be unleashed, thus, providing video footage for further enforcement action.

This is not a ceremonial event either.  Just a few days after the system went online, the surveillance drones in Lahore’s Mehmood Booti area found three illicit pyrolysis units.  In addition, four other factories were found to be discharging toxic fumes above the permissible level. Authorities then confiscated hundreds of sacks filled with carbon and initiated inquiries against the environmental officers for inaction on blatant breaches of the law.

The system has been called “a game changer” by Imran Hamid Sheikh, The Pakistani Environment Department’s Director General, while he added:

“Right now, we are in the process of e-mapping all brick kilns and industries within the region. The drone footage gives us concrete evidence, a visual tool to not only monitor polluting sectors but even assess the productivity and efficiency of our own officers.”

This has been dubbed as the solution to decades of neglect when it comes to enforcing laws that have been put in place to monitor and control pollution which has been on the rise. With the advancements made in technology, enforcement surveillance will now be able to track pollution in real-time via drones.

Authorities don’t have to worry anymore about industrial operators bypassing set standards and policies because everything is now monitored tightly on a real time basis through drones ensuring there are no gaps for laxity or hiding.

As it is expected, the devastation caused by environmental pollution will now be under control. The risks of smog and bad air quality has been elevated on a yearly basis which means the situation has been so dire that a change is long overdue.