Telangana State to deploy drones to pep up 'Hara Bhara' drive

Hyderabad: Telangana's ITE and C Department and Forest Department have partnered with Marut Drones, a Hyderabad-based drone technology start-up, to launch a drone-based afforestation project named 'Hara Bhara'. This is India's first kind of project, planting 50 lakh trees in 12,000 hectares of land in forests across all the 33 districts of the State.

During the launch of AgHub at Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU) on Monday, in the presence of IT Minister KT Rama Rao, the Seedcopter Drone by Marut Drones was unveiled along with the poster launch of 'Hara Bhara' campaign.

Seedcopter by Marut Drones is an aerial seeding solution for rapid and scalable reforestation. It'll 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.

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.

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