Bhubaneswar: The Water Resources department in Odisha will use drones to monitor irrigation projects in order to improve transparency and accountability in their implementation and keep a close watch on construction progress and quality.
The department has directed officials to conduct regular drone surveys of projects being implemented under the Accelerated Irrigation Benefits Programme (AIBP), a component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY). In a letter to the Engineer-in-Chief of the Water Resources Department, Under Secretary Aarti Mallik said the surveys would help assess actual site conditions, monitor construction progress and evaluate the quality of work.
The state has decided to introduce the system following recommendations from the Central Water Commission (CWC). Major components of AIBP projects under the department will be covered by drone surveys. The Centre has emphasised the need for regular drone-based monitoring to maintain a record of projects through photographs and video footage tagged with geographical coordinates. Data collected through drone surveys will help identify discrepancies between the actual progress of projects and the reports submitted by officials.
This will enable the department to determine where work is progressing slowly, what obstacles are delaying implementation and whether there are any quality-related concerns. The department has asked officials to submit drone survey reports along with geo-tagged photographs, video footage and details of the corrective measures taken. Mallik said in her letter that the reports would subsequently be forwarded to the CWC. Once implemented, the system will ensure that monitoring of irrigation projects is not confi ned to paperwork and progress reports but is also based on actual conditions at project sites. The initiative is expected to improve project quality and implementation efficiency, she said.
