CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu is preparing to deploy heavy-lift drones capable of carrying one tonne of water to tackle forest fires and introduce smart electric fencing and satellite cameras to mitigate human-wildlife conflict, Forests Minister RV Ranjith Kumar said on Monday (July 6).
Addressing reporters after inspecting a railway level crossing in Kancheepuram, the minister said the measures were being introduced in view of rising temperatures and the increasing risk of forest fires across the State.
He said the Forest Department has readied drone-based water spraying systems capable of carrying up to one tonne of water for rapid response to forest fires.
To reduce incidents of wild animals entering human habitations and attacking people, the government is also planning to introduce protective electric fencing and satellite-based cameras, similar to systems used abroad. He said Tamil Nadu would become the first State in India to deploy such technology.
The minister said the satellite cameras would help monitor the movement of wild animals, while the fencing would deter them from straying into residential areas.
Earlier, Ranjith Kumar inspected the railway gate near the Old Railway Station in Kancheepuram, where residents have sought conversion of a one-way stretch into a two-way road to ease traffic congestion.
During the inspection, the minister spoke to Southern Railway officials over the phone and urged them to convert the existing one-way road into a two-way carriageway.
Railway officials assured him that steps would be taken to execute the work, he said.