TWENTY high-powered drones will be deployed for monitoring purposes and for delivery of vital supplies to flood-hit areas, Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Dr Adham Baba said.

He said the ministry has received the cooperation of five private companies to supply the drones, which would be operated by the Drone Services Special Emergency Response Team.

“These drones will be able to locate flood victims who may be trapped, as well as monitor roads and slope movements that may cause landslides during the floods,” he said to reporters after launching DeScale Green Technology products in Putrajaya today.

He said the ministry was still waiting for approval from the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia to fly the drones, to assist the National Security Council, National Disaster Relief Management Agency and the Environment and Water Ministry in efforts to assess the current situation at flood-hit areas more effectively.

The drones would facilitate viewing from an aerial vantage point to assist the related agencies in providing emergency services to flood victims who are stranded and may have no access to communication networks, he added.

He said the delivery drone is capable of carrying a load of up to 10kg of supplies such as food and medicines on each trip to dangerous and difficult-to-access sites.

On satellite image observations, Adham said until yesterday, there was a 60% reduction of flooded areas in Taman Sri Muda and Section 24 in Shah Alam, as opposed to last Saturday.

“The flood inundation areas have decreased from 5.1 sq km to about 2.1 sq km,” he said. – Bernama, December 21, 2021.