Chennai, Nov 6:
To bolster real-time situational awareness and speed up emergency response during the northeast monsoon, the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC) has floated tenders to deploy drone-based aerial videography and live surveillance systems across northern, central, and southern regions of the city.
Under the pilot flood-preparedness blueprint, the civic body will station one professional-grade drone equipped with high-definition cameras alongside certified operating crews in each of Chennai’s 15 administrative zones. The units will conduct daily surveillance over low-lying, flood-prone neighborhoods and vulnerable arterial stretches, transmitting real-time encrypted video streams to zonal disaster units and the central Integrated Command and Control Centre at Ripon Buildings.
Civic officials said the aerial feeds will enable engineers to immediately assess waterlogging depth, track canal discharge levels, and dynamically dispatch motor pumps and rescue teams. All flight data logs and captured footage will be preserved for post-monsoon urban analysis, with authorities planning to expand the drone fleet based on the pilot’s performance.