The Punjab Forest Department has decided to use cutting-edge drone technology to protect forests from fires and other disasters in the districts of Rawalpindi and Murree and Margalla Hills adjacent to Taxila.
A project has been initiated to install an Artificial Intelligence-based Early Warning and Detection System in the forests of Rawalpindi district and the four mountainous tehsils of Murree, Kotli Sattian, Kahuta, Kallar Syedan, as well as Margalla Hills adjacent to Taxila, to prevent and respond quickly to annual fire disasters in these areas.
This system will enable early detection of forest fires, help track wildfires, and facilitate timely containment to prevent their spread. A centralised control room will monitor wildfires in real-time and issue early warning alerts, reducing the incidence of forest fires.
Through this technology, forest protection and monitoring will be enhanced. The pilot project has already completed drone mapping and 3D modeling of 50,000 acres of Murree's forests with a seven-centimeter resolution.
The Forest Department oversees 1.6 million acres of forest and has been using traditional methods to protect forests since 1864. For the first time, the department has introduced state-of-the-art drone technology. This technology is being used for forest change detection, identifying changes in forest cover over time.
Chief Conservator of Forests, Iftikhar Hussain, says drone technology will also be used for identifying encroachments and managing natural resources. With the help of multispectral, hyperspectral, and thermal sensors, crucial data is being gathered from remote areas that are difficult to access with the human eye, he adds.
The department has also taken steps towards creating a digital forest inventory based on a century-old record.
According to the chief conservator, drone technology is enabling high-resolution imagery for compartment-level forest mapping, which helps determine the boundaries of forests. It is also being used to measure forest density and create a digital record of tree species.
Meanwhile, the department has launched a helpline 1084, where complaints regarding illegal encroachments, tree cutting, or any other issues can be reported. The department will take immediate action upon receiving such complaints.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ