MBIP is getting its first smart drone unit which will be helpful to crack down on illegal dumping and river pollution incidents. — Filepic
ISKANDAR Puteri City Council (MBIP) will be cracking down on illegal dumping and river pollution using smart drones that will be taking to the skies soon.
MBIP councillor Lim Soon Hai said the city council was in the midst of acquiring its first smart drone unit, which was expected to begin operating by the end of the year.
“The high-specification drone can conduct unsupervised surveillance within a 10km radius and hard-to-reach areas.
“This will help us improve enforcement as the drone will provide live feed to MBIP’s command centre,” he told StarMetro.
He hoped that the technology could help to tackle issues like pollution and illegal dumping, which had led to contamination of water bodies and people falling sick.
In September, residents in several locations in Johor including Tebrau and Skudai reportedly experienced strong chemical odour believed to be caused by pollution.
Johor health and environment committee chairman Ling Tian Soon had previously highlighted that about 300 tonnes of rubbish, mostly plastic containers and plastic bags, were collected from Sungai Skudai and Sungai Tebrau in 2023.
For perspective, a 747 aircraft weighs about 300 tonnes.
Lim said aside from detecting illegal activities, the drone would come in handy during disasters like floods.
He added that the drone was also equipped with a thermal sensor to pick up sightings of wildlife and human movements, which could be useful in cross-agency collaborations such as border control.
Following testing, Lim said the city council was enthusiatic about the drone.
“MBIP mayor Datuk Mohd Haffiz Ahmad has agreed to purchase a second unit to monitor an even wider area within the city council’s jurisdiction.
“He is fully supportive of using technology to strengthen enforcement.
“We hope to have the second unit up and running by the second quarter of next year,” he said.
Lim said the units would be kept at MBIP’s premises in Medini and Skudai.
