Dubai to deploy drones to catch people littering the city

Dubai Municipality is now planning to use drones to catch people littering red-handed, as the use of unmanned aerial vehicles increases in the emirate.

The municipality’s waste management department has already bought one drone as part of its trial phase, an official confirmed to Gulf News.

“Since they are very cost effective, we expect to have two more drones later this year, which will carry out inspections across deserts and beaches,” director of the Waste Management Department Abdul Majeed Al Saifaie told the paper.

“We initially purchased the drone to monitor the landfill sites at Al Ghusais, Jebel Ali and Al Warsan, because as per regulations, they are allowed to reach up to 30 metres high,” he said.

“In this way, we save money and time as the inspectors do not have to drive around and also, the drones can reach up to places that our employees cannot get to,” he said.

The drones will also be used to monitor popular campsites in the emirate to ensure that they are not littered.

Several Dubai government entities have started using drones to improve efficiencies.

Last week, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority confirmed that it will deploy new high-end drones as part of its Sirb initiative to support the emirate’s infrastructure.

The drones will be used for topographic surveys, thermal inspection and photovoltaic panel maintenance.

They will feature upgradable technologies such as high-definition cameras that are equipped with night-vision, lasers and GPS sensors, and can measure pressure, height, magnetic fields, and use ultrasound scanning.

The use of such drones will limit risks, reduce costs, enable quick-response times and ensure accuracy, DEWA said.