The future is here, ladies and gents!
Negri Sembilan has announced that they will be using drones to help patrol reserved forest areas in the state and protect them from illegal logging activities.
State Secretary Datuk Mat Ali Hassan told The New Straits Times that the drones would allow the authorities to monitor and scout inaccessible forest areas more effectively.
“With conventional methods, our enforcement officers have to walk or use four-wheel drive vehicles to reach specific areas in the forests for monitoring work. This usually takes a longer time.
“The use of drones will enable the authorities to observe and monitor the area from afar, before taking any action or implementing any strategies to capture the illegal loggers,” he was quoted as saying.
Mat Ali also told the daily that the state will buy two drone units – equipped with high quality cameras and a five kilometer radius – for RM6,000 per unit.
He added that the drones be shared with other departments such as the Department of Irrigation and Drainage as well as the state Land and Mines Office.
