A Drone’s Eye View of Disaster

 

One of the Mahotsav’s most shocking revelations came not from debate, but from drone surveillance. Supported by CWP’s tech team, a drone survey was conducted over the entire length of the Hindon River—from Barsani Falls in Saharanpur to its merger with the Yamuna in Noida.

The results were devastating:

• Over 100 direct sewage drains were found discharging untreated waste
   
• Numerous illegal industrial effluent outlets were captured
   
• Riverbanks were found narrowed by rampant encroachments
   
• Water color varied from black to reddish-brown in several zones
   
• Aquatic biodiversity had vanished in large segments
   

The visuals were publicly screened during Hindon Manthan, leaving the audience visibly shaken.

“This is no longer a case of negligence. It’s a crime,” said Dr. Umar Saif, who also proposed a GIS dashboard for real-time monitoring.