Sanitation, aerial alerts make drones new soldiers in war against Covid-19

They are being used throughout the country to spray disinfectants, manage crowds, spread awareness through public announcements and for geo-mapping to chalk out containment zones

Drones, which were mostly limited only to wedding photography or spraying pesticides over farms earlier, are becoming the eyes of the administration amid the Covid-19 outbreak to monitor areas.

The blanket-ban on drones which was lifted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in 2018, has been utilised throughout the country for effectively spraying disinfectants, surveillance, crowd management, spreading awareness through public announcements and also geo-mapping to chalk-out containment zones.  

Mumbai Police, for example, has deployed around 50 drones all over the city, in association with the Drone Federation of India. "The drones are doing surveillance for the police, and the images,