📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Dr.Amarinder Kaur
Agriculture
Haryana Deploys Drones to Detect Farm Fires Early
✍️ Hindustan Times
🗓 25 Sep 2026, 11:16 AM
👁 10
The Haryana government will use aerial drones to monitor agricultural fields and identify fire outbreaks before they spread, aiming to protect crops and reduce losses.
The state government of Haryana announced a new initiative to employ unmanned aerial vehicles for real‑time surveillance of farm lands. The drones, equipped with thermal imaging sensors, will fly over agricultural zones during the peak fire‑prone season to spot hotspots and alert local authorities instantly.
Officials say the technology will complement existing ground‑based fire‑watch teams, enabling quicker response times and limiting the spread of blazes that often devastate wheat and rice crops. The pilot program will start in districts most vulnerable to accidental fires, with plans to expand statewide based on performance data.
The move aligns with Haryana's broader push to integrate modern technology into traditional farming practices, aiming to safeguard the agrarian economy and reduce the financial burden on farmers caused by fire‑related losses.
State agriculture minister Ravi Kumar emphasized that the drone system will be operated by trained personnel from the forest and fire services, ensuring coordination between aerial monitoring and on‑ground firefighting units.
If successful, the initiative could serve as a model for other Indian states grappling with similar challenges during the dry season.
Officials say the technology will complement existing ground‑based fire‑watch teams, enabling quicker response times and limiting the spread of blazes that often devastate wheat and rice crops. The pilot program will start in districts most vulnerable to accidental fires, with plans to expand statewide based on performance data.
The move aligns with Haryana's broader push to integrate modern technology into traditional farming practices, aiming to safeguard the agrarian economy and reduce the financial burden on farmers caused by fire‑related losses.
State agriculture minister Ravi Kumar emphasized that the drone system will be operated by trained personnel from the forest and fire services, ensuring coordination between aerial monitoring and on‑ground firefighting units.
If successful, the initiative could serve as a model for other Indian states grappling with similar challenges during the dry season.