What happened
The Commission for Air Quality Management in the National Capital Region and adjoining areas (Commission for Air Quality Management) urged State governments to deploy drone-based surveillance to monitor stubble burning.
The Commission specifically urged State governments of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Punjab to use unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
The Commission stated that UAVs can detect stubble burning incidents in a reliable and effective way and can complement existing monitoring methods like satellite imagery and ground inspections. The Commission cited operational strengths of UAVs: rapid deployment, high-resolution and real-time imaging, and flexible flight patterns.
The Commission described UAV surveillance outputs that can support enforcement actions, including: accurately identifying active fire locations, mapping affected agricultural fields, detecting and characterizing smoke plumes, and producing time-stamped evidence.
The Commission also asked State governments to ensure drone monitoring coverage includes paddy cultivation areas, with emphasis on identified hotspot villages and fire-prone locations, and to align drone monitoring areas with these priorities.