Telangana to use drones for afforestation

Hyderabad, Aug 30 : Telangana's Departments of Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, and Forests have partnered with Marut Drones, a Hyderabad-based drone technology startup, to launch a drone-based afforestation project named 'Hara Bhara'.

Under this first of its kind project in India, 50 lakh trees will be planted in about 12,000 hectares of land in forests across all the 33 districts.

The Seedcopter drone by Marut Drones was unveiled on Monday along with the poster launch of 'Hara Bhara' campaign by Information Technology Minister K.T. Rama Rao.

This campaign will accelerate the mission of Green Telangana under 'Haritha Haram' programme in line with the vision of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, officials said.

"Forests are essential to maintain a clean and habitable environment for human life, and emerging technologies have potential to support the afforestation efforts. Being already at the forefront of using drones for new use-cases, we are initiating Hara Bahara to plant seeds increase the forest areas across all the districts of the state," Rama Rao said.

This project uses drones to disperse seed balls over thin, barren and empty forest lands to turn them into lush green abode of trees. The process begins with a field survey and mapping of the terrain area to understand the ecosystem and demarcate the areas needing urgent attention.

This is used to determine the number and species of trees that can be planted in the barren land based on the soil, climate, and other parameters. The seed balls are prepared by the local women and welfare communities which are dispersed via drones in the targeted areas. Further, the area is continuously monitored to track the growth of plants sown.

Seedcopter by Marut Drones is an aerial seeding solution for rapid and scalable reforestation. It brings community, science and technology together for an inclusive, sustainable and long-lasting solution.

It will not only reverse environmental damage but also create vital employment in rural, tribal, and other vulnerable communities. Its core objective is to build strong communities for afforestation and bring awareness at a grassroots level on the effects of deforestation, officials said.