KATHMANDU: Drones are being used to deliver food and necessities to Magargaun, a village in Panauti Municipality-12 of Kavre, in response to the disruption of rural roads brought on by nonstop rain last week. Airlift Technology is working with Hami Team Nepal on this project, which has made it possible to provide the impacted community with essential resources.
Volunteer Parikshyan Humagain of Hami Team Nepal said that on Sunday, a large shipment of rice and other supplies was sent to Magargaun. Using drones, the charity has successfully delivered relief supplies to 85 households despite the village's isolated location and the closure of rural roads.
The organization decided to use drones after learning of the village impacted by the flood and landslide and its immediate need for relief supplies. Essential supplies like rice, solar lights, salt, oil, spices, sanitary pads, and lactogen for kids were delivered by drone on the first delivery day.
Due to severe damage to the road leading from Panauti Bazaar to the village, drones were taken out of Bhumidanda in Ward 12. Each drone may carry up to 65 kg of food at a time, depending on the wind conditions, according to Humagain, a social activist.
The drones can carry a maximum of 65 kg of cargo if the air flow is steady. If not, they will cap each flight at 20 kg to guarantee a safe delivery. Due to the fact that reports of misery are still coming in from other places, the organization is giving priority to delivering food products to additional communities that are similarly afflicted.
Humagain stated that in order to support the ongoing delivery activities, data about villages and homes without access to the road has been gathered. With traditional supply routes cut off, the effort seeks to meet the urgent needs of the populations affected.
The District Police Office, Dhulikhel, has stated that 77 people have died as a result of the tragic impacts of the floods and landslides that have occurred in Kavre. 33 women, 28 men, 9 boys, and 7 girls are among the dead, underscoring the terrible toll the tragedy took on local communities.
244 individuals have died as a result of floods and landslides nationwide, accounting for 31.56 percent of the deaths linked to the tragedy last week. With so many families still in need of aid and care, the situation is still dire.
Drone delivery of relief in Kavre is a noteworthy development that demonstrates creative solutions to logistical problems in disaster relief. The company intends to keep employing this strategy to deliver necessities to remote villages as long as weather permits.
Hami Team Nepal's partnership with Airlift Technology serves as an example of how important it is to use technology to aid relief efforts, particularly in distant locations where conventional modes of transportation are impractical. This program shows the potential for future drone applications in disaster management in addition to meeting immediate demands.
Local authorities and groups are asked to keep a careful eye on the situation and evaluate the impacted families' ongoing needs while the relief efforts continue. In order to guarantee that every community that is at risk gets the help it needs during this difficult period, cooperation among the different stakeholders will be essential.
It will be crucial in the future to assess drone delivery systems' efficiency in disaster relief efforts and take into account integrating them into established emergency response procedures. This creative concept could lead to better disaster response and preparedness plans in Nepal and other nations with comparable issues.
