Nepal floods: Drones airlift bodies and deliver aid to cut-off villages

Drones are delivering supplies, locating survivors and airlifting bodies in flood-ravaged Nepal. The operations highlight a growing local disaster-response capability in places too dangerous for rescuers.

In Short

• Seven bodies were transported after rescuers found the terrain too dangerous
• AI-enabled drones questioned stranded villagers to assess urgent needs remotely
• Operators delivered 1.5 tonnes of emergency supplies within three days

Drones are taking on an expanding role in Nepal's flood response, from delivering food and medicines to cut-off communities and searching inaccessible areas to airlifting bodies from places too dangerous for rescuers to reach.

In one of the most striking examples yet, seven bodies were flown this week from Devighat-3 in Nuwakot to Devighat-5 after rescuers could not safely navigate the badly hit area, according to a report published by The Kathmandu Post on Wednesday. It was "perhaps their most unusual role yet", the report said.

The team involved in the operation included personnel from Nepal Police, the Nepal Army and drone manufacturing company GarudX. The use of unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, is becoming an important part of Nepal's disaster response as roads and bridges are washed away and swollen rivers cut off communities from one another.

In Devighat-3, one of the worst-hit areas, an AI-enabled drone flew over stranded villagers and used a loudspeaker to ask a series of questions, including whether they had water, food and medicine. Villagers were asked to raise their hands in response. "Based on the villagers' response, we make an assessment for what they require and send the delivery through drones," Milan Pandey, director of Airlift Technology and a drone pilot, was quoted as saying by the Post report.

The drone also asked people to provide a phone number or address, which could be written on a placard or even in the mud, so that operators could identify their location and needs. "We supplied at least 1.5 tonnes of emergency supplies, including food, to the affected areas in three days," Pandey said.

In another operation, a drone was flown inside the tunnel of the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project, where scores of workers are believed to have been trapped after the floods, the report said. "We reached platform 1 of the project and saw the tunnel filled with water and rocks. It's risky and challenging to get inside," said drone operator Adarsha Bhusal. He said the drone found no signs of life inside the tunnel.

According to the Independent Power Producers' Association of Nepal, around 900 workers have been reported missing at various hydropower projects along the Trishuli and Bhote Koshi rivers. Nepal's drone ecosystem began taking shape after the 2015 earthquake, when international agencies brought in the technology for damage assessment and recovery work. Much of that capacity is now being developed and operated by Nepali companies and young drone enthusiasts.

Nepal's growing expertise is also finding use outside the country. According to the World Bank, Nepal's private sector has provided drone-based services in Bhutan for multi-hazard risk assessment. Operators say there are limits, including payload capacity, range and weather conditions, but add that drones are the cheapest way to transport supplies compared with helicopters.

Summing up the wider potential of the technology, Pandey said, "For a country repeatedly exposed to earthquakes, floods, landslides and mountain hazards, the rise of locally developed drone technology could mark a significant shift in how Nepal responds to disasters - putting eyes, cargo and rescue capability into places where human access is simply too dangerous." He added, "We just need an appropriate policy to promote such a life-saving machine."

With PTI Inputs

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