Morocco Sees Rise in Demand over Drones to Help Tackle Coronavirus

Morocco has relied on heavy surveillance to enforce a strict lockdown, attracting criticism from the United Nations Human Rights Office - AFP
Morocco has relied on heavy surveillance to enforce a strict lockdown, attracting criticism from the United Nations Human Rights Office - AFP
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Morocco Sees Rise in Demand over Drones to Help Tackle Coronavirus

Morocco has relied on heavy surveillance to enforce a strict lockdown, attracting criticism from the United Nations Human Rights Office - AFP
Morocco has relied on heavy surveillance to enforce a strict lockdown, attracting criticism from the United Nations Human Rights Office - AFP

Morocco has seen a rapid rise in demand for drones amid it battles against the novel coronavirus pandemic, deploying them for aerial surveillance, public service announcements and sanitisation.

"This is a real craze. In just weeks, demand has tripled in Morocco and other countries in the region," said Yassine Qamous, chief of Droneway Maroc, African distributor for leading Chinese drone company DJI.

In recent weeks, authorities have employed drones to issue warnings, identify suspicious movement in the streets and disperse illegal rooftop and balcony gatherings.

Moroccan firms have been using drones for years and according to Qamous, it "is among the most advanced countries in Africa" for unmanned flight, with a dedicated industrial base, researchers and qualified pilots.

However, restrictive regulations have long limited civilian drones to specific applications such as filming, agriculture, monitoring solar panels and mapping, AFP reported.

That changed rapidly as the fatal pandemic swept across the world.

Last week local authorities in Temara, a town near the capital Rabat, launched a high-precision aerial surveillance system developed by local company Beti3D, which previously specialized in aerial mapping.

Other countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East have also adopted technology deployed in China since the start of the pandemic, whether for tracking the movements of citizens, disinfecting public spaces or facilitating deliveries.

"Drones have quickly emerged as a vital technology for public safety agencies during this crisis as they can safely monitor public spaces," according to the website of DJI, by far the world's top drone maker.

Like most countries, Morocco primarily uses imported Chinese drones. But the emergence of new applications linked to the pandemic is also driving local production of specialized aerial vehicles.

"There is real demand," said Abderrahmane Krioual, the head of Farasha, a startup that has raised funds to produce drones for thermal surveillance and aerial disinfectant spraying.

The aeronautics department of the International University of Rabat (UIR) offered its facilities, expertise and prototypes to authorities in March, deploying drones with loudspeakers or infrared cameras able to detect movement at night or spot individuals with high temperatures.

Several projects are underway across the country ahead of the widespread deployment of various models of drones, said Mohsine Bouya, the university's director of technology development and transfer.



Pakistan Shuts Primary Schools for a Week in Lahore Due to Dangerous Air Quality

A vehicle of the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) sprays water using an anti-smog gun to curb air pollution amid smoggy conditions in Lahore on November 4, 2024. (AFP)
A vehicle of the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) sprays water using an anti-smog gun to curb air pollution amid smoggy conditions in Lahore on November 4, 2024. (AFP)
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Pakistan Shuts Primary Schools for a Week in Lahore Due to Dangerous Air Quality

A vehicle of the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) sprays water using an anti-smog gun to curb air pollution amid smoggy conditions in Lahore on November 4, 2024. (AFP)
A vehicle of the Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) sprays water using an anti-smog gun to curb air pollution amid smoggy conditions in Lahore on November 4, 2024. (AFP)

Dangerously poor air quality on Monday forced Pakistani authorities in the cultural capital of Lahore to close primary schools for a week, government officials said, after the air-quality index hit a record high over the weekend.

The measures in Lahore were part of a larger effort to protect children from respiratory-related and other diseases in the city of 14 million people. The government said everyone in Lahore was required to wear a face mask.

Fifty percent of employees must also work from home as part of a “green lockdown” in the city, the government said, adding that barbecuing food without filters was banned and motorized rickshaws restricted. Wedding halls must close at 10 p.m. and artificial rain is likely to be used to combat the pollution.

The air-quality index in Lahore exceeded 1,000 over the weekend, a record high in Pakistan.

Toxic gray smog has sickened tens of thousands of people, mainly children and elderly people, since last month when the air quality started worsening in Lahore, the capital of eastern Punjab province bordering India.

The government has also banned construction work in certain areas and fined owners of smoke-emitting vehicles. Schools will remain closed for a week because of the pollution, according to a government notification.

The concentration of PM 2.5, or tiny particulate matter, in the air approached 450, considered hazardous, the Punjab Environment Protection Department said.

Lahore was once known as a city of gardens, which were ubiquitous during the Mughal era from the 16th to 19th centuries. But rapid urbanization and surging population growth have left little room for greenery.